Star Wars: The Sith Wars: Book One: Revenge
by Christopher Willings
Summary: The uncompleted first book of my proposed 10 book series. Set about 40 years after Return of the Jedi. I abandoned this story just as soon as Coruscant fell in the NJO books.
1. Default Chapter

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..  
  
Star Wars  
  
Sith Wars  
Book1  
Revenge  
  
Over two decades have passed since the New Galactic Republic,  
With aide from the Jedi Order and the Imperial remnant, expelled the  
Yuuzhan Vong invaders from the known galaxy. A period of prosperity had followed, seeing the strengthening of the now united New Republic and the  
acceptance of the new Jedi Knights by the galaxy at large. Put this period was not without its tragedy. A conflict known as the Dark Jedi Insurrection occurred, bringing the evils of the dark side to the Jedi once more. Fueled by an army of dark siders led by the vile Valen Draxx, this conflict, while viewed as minor by caparison to the Vong War, caused  
much greater emotional harm. It brought about the death of many great heroes of the New Republic such as Corran Horn, Kyp Durron, Kam Solusar,  
but most importantly, the great Luke Skywalker; his wife, Mara Jade  
Skywalker; their child, Leia Organa and Han Solo; and their son, Jacen  
Solo. It was a dark time for those who upheld truth and justice. Draxx's army of Dark Jedi was taught to be completely merciless when it came to achieving  
their goals. The final battle, known as the Last Stand, was fought on the surface and orbit of Courscant itself. Never was there a place where a wandering eye could not catch a glimpse of Force-users battling to the end. High above the capital world, Draxx and the Solo brothers fought aboard the NR space station Virulence. It was an arduous duel for the three. Jacen was struck down, causing Anakin to kill the dark sider using all his fury. Anakin Solo  
to this day has never come so close to falling to the dark side. Draxx's evil hordes were slain along with many Jedi. The galaxy was left to recover the shattered pieces of this conflict without their great heroes. The twelve strongest Jedi were elected to fill the place of the devastated  
Jedi High Council. Anakin Solo refused a position on the great council therefore his older sister, Jaina Cracken, was chosen to lead along side  
the Wookiee, Lowbacca. Since that time eight years passed, the Jedi have made monumental strides  
to resemble the great order that was destroyed by the Sith. They are  
trusted and admired once again. And the galaxy is prosperous once more.  
  
Unbeknownst to them: fear, hate, anger, and aggression will soon return.  
  
Dramatis Personae  
  
Drake Cracken; General of New Republic Armed Forces ( Human male from Corellia ) Jaina Cracken; Jedi Master, Senior Member of Jedi High Council ( Human female from Courscant ) Talia Cracken; Jedi Knight (Human female from Courscant ) Troy Cracken; Jedi Knight (Human male from Courscant ) Valen Draxx; Sith Lord (Human male from Rulcan ) Yon Fariba; Exiled monarch of the Tagii Imperium ( Human male from Xarn ) Conrad Green; Jedi Knight ( Human male from Courscant ) Trixis Grutari; Sith Lord ( Neimodian male from Neimodia ) Jan Hunter; Lieutenant in Xarn Royal Security Forces, Personal bodyguard for Emperor Fariba (Human female from Xarn) Zane Isolder; Sith Apprentice, Exiled prince of Hapes ( Human male from Hapes ) Jados; Jedi Padawan ( Trandoshan male from Dosha ) Kaladann; Sith Master, Commander of the Shadow Fleet ( Yevetha male from N'zoth ) Andur Naraga; Jedi Master, Jedi Council member ( Selquian male from Tekaida IX ) Allon Paje; Jedi Padawan ( Human male from Tatioone ) Ralin; Jedi Master ( Twi'lek male from Ryloth ) Naga Sadow; Dark Lord of the Sith Empire ( Sithian male ) Setei; Sith Master, Master of the Sith Assassins ( Human female ) Alen Sheriden; General in Xarn Armed Forces, Xarn Intelligence Commander ( Human male from Xarn ) Anakin Solo; Jedi Master ( Human male from Nespis VIII ) 


	2. Prolouge

PROLOUGE  
  
Yon Fariba, the Emperor of the Tagii Imperium, looked out nervously at the Imperial City of the Tagii throne-world of Xarn, four kilometers from the Navity Palace. It was a near replica in miniature of Courscant and had taken long to turn into a place that could even come close to the Capital's majesty. To the untrained eye, all was right on this world. But that was far from the truth. It was a planet under siege by some of its own people. Tagii was a colony system, settled some five hundred years ago by a group of people that wanted their own way of life, free from their tyrannical rulers. They found a system of twelve planets and one primary. Unfortunately, only one of the dozen worlds was habitable-Xarn. Named after a great scholar and leader that died for their cause, Tagii Xarn. All looked-up to the memory of the great Xarn and none disagreed. The colonists came from a polluted democratic world that was plagued with crime and intolerance. They pursued a planet where the government dealt with the cries of the people, was willing to defy greedy corporations for the sake of a clean home, and was willing to send criminals exactly where they came from. Thus, the Tagii Imperium was born. One leader of the cause, the female Twi'lek, Leonore Navity, was crowned the first empress of the Tagii system. She lived-up to the honor bestowed upon her by recognizing the great wealth in mining the surrounding planets in the sector. The worlds were rich in untapped minerals, as was the asteroid belt near the fourth planet, Arabas. If those places were used to their best potential, the money would be endless. After that, a monumental tragedy befell Tagii in the form of bold conquistadors from a neighboring system. The citizens of Xarn were relatively defenseless against their attackers. But luck was with them, and aide came from the Galactic Republic. They Republic battled back the invaders within a month. And in the end, the now Emperor Trovis was so obliged that he asked for the Republic to allow the Tagii Imperium into their galactic government. The people were overjoyed by this fact and Xarn entered a golden age, In that age, Emperor Trovis expanded the Imperium's military and navy each year until they had become quite capable of protecting themselves from the scum of the galaxy. By the fall of the Republic and the purge of the Jedi Knights, Xarn had an intimidating military. But that fact was kept unknown to the masses for security reasons as the Republic became corrupt and changed into the Galactic Empire. That saw the birth of the clone armies, what soon came to be known as the Imperial Stormtroopers. Tagii saw them as both a great threat and an abomination. The very idea of degrading life with millions of clones was unthinkable. It showed the Imperium who monstrous the Empire could be. Nonetheless, the Empire had an inexhaustible army with the clones. Tagii felt like they had no defense against such detestable creations and need to take steps to keep the Imperium untainted by the mad Palpatine. Thus they procured a wealth in Commerce Guild surplus. Millions of battle droids, super battle droids, destroyer droids, and other machinations, along with thousands of ships were purchased to protect the system. But it didn't stop there. The Imperium had ingenious technicians, scientist, and military tacticians. They took the designs of the battle and destroyer droids and made them into automated warriors that were capable of outfighting the storm troopers. Within two years, the new droids were in mass production. The need for control satellites was all but gone. The X-class battle and destroyer droids were independent and as intelligent as some protocol droids. What was kept was the hive mind. All X-droids could be given orders at the speed of light and would obey to a logical extent. It was more than the Imperials could say about their living troops. X-droids had improved accuracy, stronger firepower, and improved armor-no mere tap would knock these automations out-cold. What's more, Xarn's droids required no sleep or nourishment. The design of acquired federation warships, droid control ships, and star fighters was put under close scrutiny by Tagii ship builders and fused with the designs of Star Destroyers and the latest snub craft to create powerful vessels, suitable for defense and patrol. And the sleek and mighty Tagii Star Patrollers were created; though none were ever completed until around the time of the Battle of Endor. They soon fully replaced the old federation ships as the defenders of the Imperium. To complement the larger ships, the new Tagii droid fighters were produced, taking in some of the best qualities that could be put into a star fighter and remain cost-effective to mass produce. The newer versions created were even faster, stronger, and better defended than the original Tagii fighters were. It was the decision of the populace that the bulk of the Tagii fleet and army should be placed into hiding and that the Imperium remains out of the war-only the highest in the Imperium knew the true number of war materiel the system had. That doctrine was kept all throughout the war and into the invasion of the galaxy, where the previous Emperor Mason decreed that the military would be used only to protect the Imperium from the Vong. Again the people agreed, but quickly turned on their ruler as soon as that fact came to light. Mason was faced with a choice of either abdicating the throne or risk a revolt from the citizenry he tried to protect. He chose the former of the two and resigned as Emperor. Thus a regional governor, from a rich family that had the honor of proclaiming one of their own had been Emperor once, was crowned by the people in a close election. That man was Yon Fariba. He was a kind man, though often ignorant of what was going on. Coming from a wealthy family made him proud and some would say childishly arrogant. But Fariba did the best he could. The Imperium hadn't suffered any misfortunes since he was elected twenty years ago. In fact, since than the Tagii Imperium had joined the New Republic and was accepted with open arms-once it was explained that the former ruler was to blame for the lack of aide during the invasion, not Fariba. Everything seemed tranquil-until the strangers arrived seven years ago. That was where this whole problem began. It seemed like less than that to Fariba, but it had been at least seven years since that tall, bald-headed man with two small fleshy horns jutting from his chin, had arrived in his court with promises of conquering the galaxy with the Tagii fleet. A proposal that Fariba denied. The Emperor didn't want power or control of the galaxy. And for that matter, his sixth sense told him that the visitor in black robes could not be trusted. He shunned the man and his band of followers, hence they disappeared. But as the Emperor had found out last month, they had not gone far. Instead they seduced to their cause one of Fariba's most powerful subjects-the general of the Imperium's armed forces and the man in charge of the droid armies. Fariba turned away from the large window in the palace's main conference room. The large double doors at the end of the long room had swung open and a group of mixed peoples rushed in. They wore gray uniforms under black chest armor and gloves. Each carried a sidearm. The lead one, a middle aged, black and gray hair man came up to him. "My Emperor, the droids have the imperial city and are almost at our doorstep." Fariba was still in disbelief over the situation and shook his head at the comment. "The audacity, Captain Stewart. He sends my own army against me." The Imperial guard restated himself. "Please, your majesty. We don't have much time to get to your transport." Fariba laughed at the thought. "You expect me run with my tail between my legs, Captain? I'm not afraid of these automatons. Besides, they wouldn't dare kill me-I mean too much to the public." "Sir, we must leave immediately!" Stewart explained. "What does the congress think of my leaving, huh? I must save face." "The congress has been destroyed. The members are all dead!" The Emperor froze in place. "Please, sir. We." Stewart's attention went to the gates of the palace. There, mammoth droid transports rolled through were there had once been a durasteel wall. Droid piloted battle sleds roared in and free battle droid platoons raced in. "Let's move!" Stewart cried. That rattled the monarch and he followed the Captain out of the room. Three guards held back until they passed to protect Emperor Fariba's aft. The groups filed out in a hurried pace for the stairs a few dozen meters away. Placed throughout were guards armed with heavier weapons and armor, all poised for the oncoming assault. There came a pounding from outside and at the lower level, guards scurried about, barking commands into their standard issue wrist comlinks. There would be no stopping the droids once they got inside. Captain Stewart led the procession down the marble stairs and into more closely, though equally as lavish, guarded corridors that contained a secret passage to the Imperial Hanger. Suddenly, on the monitors that lay throughout the palace, was the image of a thin-hared man with a long mustache. He wore a military uniform that displayed his high rank. "The droids will be inside any moment, my dear Emperor. Make no mistake, your security forces will quickly be overwhelmed and you will die. Unless," The man gave a devious grin, "you give the throne to me. One push of a button and the droids will be ordered to stand down and only take prisoners. Either way, it is your choice. Live.or die. Which is it?" Fariba was further outraged. "I will never, in a million years, give you this thrown. Mark my words, I will have my revenge." It didn't take much coaching from Stewart to get the angry monarch, moving on. "Have it your way." The man told him. A resounding boom echoed through the palace. Pieces of marble, duraplas, and durasteel were sent airborne. Black, blue-stripped Battle Sleds roared in through the smoke and dust, adding lasers to the oncoming blaster fire that ripped through anything the imperial guards might be hiding behind. "Run, you majesty. Run!" The Captain cried. Fariba didn't disagree with that. He couldn't have even if he wanted to; fore two of the bigger guards had grabbed on to him to keep him sprinting down the halls. A battle sled found the group and came in hot. Its twin laser cannons blew the walls to chunks as it tried to vaporize the guards and the Emperor. Stewart and a young, ebony-skinned female officer took the initiative and rained hard green light on the vehicle. They were much better shots than the battle droid pilot and sent it careening into a pillar. That was just the beginning. Stewart continued on with Emperor Fariba, as was his duty, but the woman stay back to provide cover against the coming droids. A slightly older, brown-haired man in a gray cap broke rank and helped her pick-off the automatons. They blasted away as Stewart led his leader to a bare wall and depressed a camouflaged tile that made the wall swing open to make an entrance to a dark tunnel beyond it. The captain guided a Saurian guard, Fariba, and four more human guards into the passage, and then called out to the two officers to go next. "I've got your backs." He assured them. "You can't handle them all, sir." The female said. "Go on with them." The male added. Stewart grunted. He all ready understood what he had to do, but this was making it tougher. "I'm not joking, let's go. Now!" "But, sir." The woman pleaded. "That's an order!" He screamed. "Get Emperor Fariba to Courscant, I'm trusting you two." They hesitated, and then circumspectly made their retreat. Both eyed their captain with respect before they went in. Stewart closed the tunnel behind them and began placing magnetic grenades on the narrow walls beside him. A squad of X3's-the newest battle droids-ran in, firing glancing shots. Stewart opened fire on the droids, taking down half the squad before a shot grazed his left arm. He bellowed, but took down the rest of the formation before any more shots hit. Another squad came, followed closely by two more. And the sound of more than them coming was evident. Stewart continued with bravery. Another half squad was down before a beam slammed into his left shoulder. Still, he kept firing. A droid took out his right leg and toppled him over. He purposely dropped the weapon and took out a detonator on his belt. "Long live Emperor Fariba!" He roared. Scorching fire erupted from the corridor in a vociferous explosion that caved-in the entire hall. No one was getting through there anytime soon.  
  
Emperor Yon Fariba whimpered as the explosion sent dust and heat his way. The guards were startled for a moment, but relatively unfazed by the situation. Nonetheless, they halted in order to stay with their ruler who was cowering in fear. "Captain Stewart!" He cried. "He's.he's gone. Dead! We're all going to die! I knew I should have abdicated when I had the chance. I knew it!" The two lagging guards appeared from the obscurity; the female grabbed Fariba by the arm and began to drag him. Fariba shook it off. "Just what do you think you're doing Officer Hunter?" He asked. "What the captain told me to do, sir. I'm getting you to Courscant." She replied. "What gives you the right to man-handle me like that, huh?" He demanded. "With all due respect, sir, you're in a state of panic. You're endangering your life by standing there. We need to get to the hanger before the droids do." Hunter told him. "She's right, sir." Her partner and friend Wes Devin agreed. "Please, let's keep moving." Hunter restated. One of the other human guards spoke-up. "Who died and left you in charge, Hunter?" She gave him a grim look. "Captain Stewart." That quieted him. With all the arguing finished, the Saurian at the front led them through the winding passage that let out into the Emperor's secret underground hanger where his imperial cruiser waited. It was controlled by an advance pilot droid-untainted by the rebellious orders the other machines had received and had all ready been notified to start preflight operations. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel became apparent to the group. They where almost free. The alien imperial guard took a cautious step out into the hanger and was greeted by a volley of blaster fire that tore his scaly flesh to shreds. He fell back, a blackened chunk of charred being. The guards instinctively covered Fariba with their own bodies and trained their blasters on the opening. "Target sighted." A battle droid announced in the same monotone voice they all shared. "Squad one, check the tunnel." "Copy, commander" Another replied. Once again, Hunter quickly took the initiative. "Devin, Benzi, and Pluum- we're going out to provide cover. Ikali, stay with the Emperor until told otherwise. If a bolt comes in this tunnel, it had better hit you before it hits his Highness-is this all clear?" "Do we have a choice?" The stout Benzi asked. "No." Hunter said tersely. "Than let's give'em hell." He replied as he readied his blaster. The four guards went on the offensive, firing wildly as they exited. The advancing X3-battle droids were forced to take cover. Four were not quick enough. Large durasteel storage crates were scattered all about the room and would take a turbolaser to hole through. Benzi hoped behind the closest, Devin and Pluum went together behind a set of three, and Hunter dashed behind the one farthest away. The platoon of battle droids was on the opposite side of the cruiser, using the landing struts for protection. "Your plan, Hunter," sounded the voice of Pluum from the woman's wristlink. She fired a few poorly aimed shots, and then spoke into it. "We have the advantage, here. Our accuracy and resourcefulness tips the scale in our favor." "Roger." The man replied. Hunter got-up, fired a shot, it splashed harmlessly against the cruiser, but found a droid with her second. Benzi scrapped a droid. It made him cocky, and he tried to take another before falling back behind the crate. His shot went wide as he finally dropped behind the box with a black hole in his throat. "Ericc!" cried a voice. It belonged to Devin. "Stay on them," Hunter ordered. "We almost have'em." If they could just hold on a few more moments, they could destroy the second squad of battle droids. But that situation could change at any moment. By now, reinforcements had to be on their way here through the main entrance. Pluum got-up to fire and hit the commander square in the head, popping it off. He evaded a few crimson beams by ducking, and then came up again. A blaster bolt caught him in the top of his firing arm, then another in the head as he flinched. "We're not going to make it." Devin panicked. "Focus, Wes, or we all die." She said from behind the crate. "There's only a few left." Devin pulled himself together and took down two droids with three blasts. There were now only seven droids left-manageable. As if to tell them they had no hope of success, a distant voice sounded, "There they are! Blast'em!" Another platoon sprinted through the main entrance, adding to the sprays of hard light. "What's going on out there," exclaimed Fariba's voice on the comm. Hunter ignored the incursion and yelled to Devin, "I'm open to suggestions!" Wes held back for a moment in order to think, then said into his comlink, "The ship's only ten meters away from the landing ramp. If we cover the room in fire, Ikali, you should be able to get the Emperor to the ship." "That's suicide." The unseen guard answered. "We'll get cooked for sure." "It's either a chance of suicide or a definite execution-which way would you have it?" There was radio silence for a few seconds. "Come on, Ikali, we don't have all day." "You better cover us." The young man stated. "On my signal." Hunter told the man. "Copy." "Hey, Ikali." Devin called. "Yeah?" "Do you believe in the Force?" Wes asked. "I don't know. Why?" "Well, you better hope it's smiling on us right now." Devin explained.  
  
"On my mark, Wes, let's give'em hell." "Roger that." The officers checked their blasters and prepared to spray the hanger with enough energy to out-do Tagii's star. "Go!" Hunter cried. Simultaneously, the two guards popped up and let lose with blaster fire. Two droids were caught, but the others hid. Ikali, Emperor in tow, bolted out of the passageway, adding his terrified screams with that of Fariba's. All around them, scarlet blasts scorched the marble floor and sent debris up into the air they had formerly occupied. Miraculously, the two made it in unscathed. "Go on!" Devin yelled into his comlink. It was directed at his partner. Across the room, Hunter dropped a battle droid with less than accuracy. Still it was all too much. "You first." She replied. "Come on, Jan, it's for your own good. At least one of us needs to make it to Courscant with Emperor Fariba. Don't worry; I'll be right behind you." "Just go ahead, Wes." Hunter told him. "I've got your back." "Damn it Jan, I'm the better shot here. You're the better leader." Devin admitted. "If you don't go, I'll make you. Don't think I won't stun you and load you into the cruiser." Hunter shook her head in disbelief. "You would never do something so dangerous." Wes Devin took cover as a bolt zipped passed his head. He set his blaster on 'stun', and pointed it at Hunter. "Last chance. Emperor Fariba has a lot better chance of surviving if you're conscious." Hunter grimaced. "Damn you, Devin." With that, she launched herself up and out into the open. The droids took notice immediately and aimed accordingly. One was about to fire when Devin scrapped it. Damn you, she repeated in her head. 'Always have-to be the hero, don't you, Wes. Officer Hunter jumped forward with all her available strength and landed halfway up the red-carpeted boarding ramp. Bolts whizzed by as she finally made it inside. The anteroom of Fariba's cruiser was decorated in the seals and insignias of the Tagii Imperium and furnished far better than Hunter's personal quarters in the palace. The room was empty, meaning Ikali and the Emperor had to have moved to the cockpit to give orders to take off to the pilot. Hunter continued on into the adjoining den and at first glance she saw Fariba standing still, Ikali unseen. As she arrived, Hunter found a commander-type battle droid holding his rifle to the monarch. Ikali still on the floor. In a flash-before Hunter could bring up her blaster-the droid spun and trained its weapon on her, shouting, "Drop your weapon!" The pistol gave a thump as it hit the lightly covered ground. "Stupid human." It told her. "I'm going to kill you all anyway." A blaster beam filled the room with superfluous illumination and struck down its target. Though the X3-Battle droids had improved armor, the commander still went down in one hit. As was to Wes Devin's delight. Stunned, Hunter turned around to face her partner. "Close the ramp and initiate deflector shields," He ordered the pilot droid. "Copy, sir." It sounded in a melodious voice. "Wes.you're alive." The man grunted. "Just who was going around saying I was dead, huh?"  
  
Hunter leaned over and wrapped her arms around him in a joyful embrace. "You old dog, you." She said. "I thought you were a gone for good." "Hey, celebrate later." Devin told her. "We're not out of this yet." Hunter composed herself and stood straight up again. "Right."  
A groan came from the ground beside Fariba. Ikali slowly rose with a black hole in his armor, causing the monarch to startle. "Did anyone get the name of that landspeeder that hit me?" The guard asked while he rubbed his head. Devin chuckled in amazement. "Perhaps the Force is with you." "Enough talk," Hunter took command of the situation. "We still need to get out of here and blast our way through the fleet." "You make it sound so impossible." Devin commented sarcastically. "Ikali, take his highness to his quarters and strap'em down tight. It's going to be a bumpy ride." "Yes, sir." The younger man told him. "This way, sir." Fariba went without objection and the two disappeared down the hall. To the pilot droid, Hunter said. "Take us into orbit. Shields and engines at maximum." "Right away, ma'am." Hunter and Devin moved to the seats behind the droid and buckled into the flight harnesses. The multi-armed droid worked the controls before it. It retracted the seven sets of landing gear and initiated repulsorlifts. As it pushed the accelerator, the ship whined and creaked, but did not move. Something was holding onto them. "Now what?" Devin asked. "There is a tether attached to the ship. The antigrav is not strong enough to pull free." "Engage the main drive." Hunter instructed. "I am afraid I cannot do that. The sub-light drive is currently off-line." "What!" "It was the order of General Sheridan that all drives be shutdown for maintenance." "Bring them online then!" Devin shouted. "Yes, sir." The droid fiddled with some controls. "The sub-light engines will be back online in ten minutes." "We don't have that kind of time. Can't you do it faster?" "I'm afraid not, sir." Hunter unhooked her restraints and asked, "Is the tether in sight of the tricannons?" The pilot checked a screen. "No ma'am." Officer Hunter cursed. Devin was up again and ordered, "As soon as that tether is broken, you take off. Understood?" "Yes, sir." "Deactivate the shields until I'm out." "Yes, sir." "Where are you going?" Hunter asked. Without a word, Devin fired a stun bolt into her and caught her as she fell over. As he walked off, he spoke into his comlink. "Ikali, come to the cockpit and wake-up Officer Hunter as soon as possible. That's an order." "But why can't-" Devin deactivated the device, clicked his blaster back to 'lethal' and lowered the ramp. He shot down two droids who had been approaching the ship. The rest of its squad scattered while the other platoons opened fire on him.  
  
"Hunter? Hunter." She heard the voice of Ikali from the blackness. A foul- smelling stench filled her nose and had caused her to jerk awake. She opened her eyes to see the man standing over her. "Whoa.Where am I?" Then it all returned to her. "Wes! Where is he? Oh, I'm gunna kill him!" "We had to leave him. He wanted us to leave him," He told her. "But he saved us. He blasted the tether." "Is.Is.Is he dead." Ikali shook his head. "I don't know. We left as soon as we were free." The female officer bit back her emotions, "How long was I out?" "Oh, only about eight minutes." He told her. "We'll make orbit in about two." Hunter got-up off the floor of the anteroom and sat down on one of the chairs. "Are the drives online now?" "Just started a minute ago." "It's a start. Now let's just hope we can out-fly the Phantoms." "Breaking atmosphere in one minute." The pilot announced over the ship's intercom. "Come on," Hunter said. "We'd better get to the gun pods and be ready for an assault." Ikali nodded reluctantly and followed her to the midsection of the craft. Protruding from both sides of the cruiser were transparent bubbles that both contained a swiveling chair with an attached targeting system and controls. Jutting from the bubbles were powerful tricannon chain-guns, easily capable of tearing through the hull of star fighters. Hunter entered the starboard pod and climbed into the large seat. The bubbles provided a near sense of floating in midair if one didn't look back at the cruiser behind them. It was designed to give the gunner full view of the skies and space. A frightening aspect to new imperium guards. That was why only proven gunners like Hunter were given the duty of using them. Ikali wasn't a proven gunner yet. He was fresh from training at the Imperium academy and had only been a full-fledge guard for three months. But he was a quick learner and, when forced to, showed signs of bravery and valor. That was why he'd been almost immediately placed on the emperor's personal guard unit. He had trained in gun pod simulations before-as was standard practice for the unit protecting the monarch-but was not yet certified in it. He would be relatively unaffected by the sense of floating, but Hunter doubted his ability to remain calm and shoot straight when the time came for him to provided protection to the port side of the ship. But Ikali was a good solider and should fare all right. The Imperium cruiser shot out of Xarn at breakneck-speed and into a mess of black and red capital ships that were created to protect the planet from invaders. A mixture of droids and people usually staffed the blue-crested Star Patrollers and the newer, larger, Imperium war-ships, but Hunter knew that there weren't any life forms aboard those ships. Merely droids with orders to blast the cruiser into dust. Tiny matte-black specs launched out of the sides of the ships, on an intercept course with the Emperor's cruiser. "Enemy fighters inbound at two- twenty." The pilot said over the intercom. "Pilot," Hunter called into the built-in microphone inside the pod. "Take evasive maneuvers and get us to Gamak. We can make the jump to lightspeed once we clear it and the fleet." She told the droid, referring to Xarn's second moon. "Copy, Lieutenant." "Ikali, youR guns had better be hot because we don't have anymore time." The Phantom-class droid star fighters raced forward in wedge formations on five fighters. Each autonomous craft carried duel laser cannons potent enough to cause serious damage to the cruiser if the shields were weakened. "I'm as ready as I can be, Hunter." The man replied from the opposite side of the ship. "Right," The woman replied. "Good luck, Jaims."  
"You too." Ikali said back in a desperate tone.  
A group of fighters roared in on Hunter's side, cannons blazing. A few shots missed the cruiser and the rest slammed into the shields.  
Hunter swiveled hard to port and unleashed her firepower. The scarlet laser beams ripped one fighter to pieces and blew off the side of its wing- mate. That ship veered to starboard and collided with another.  
The remainder of the group passed by just as the next wave was coming in.  
Jaims Ikali pulled his guns up and clipped a fighter in the second wave on his side. He turned sharply and caught the other four with a flaming path of bolts. The success of the move surprised him. Perhaps the Phantoms weren't as good as everyone had been left to believe. Indeed they were no replacement for living pilots, which made him doubt on their own pilot's skills. Hunter attempted to destroy another wedge of fighters but was unable to catch them due to the cruiser's position. His vessel had turned sharply and avoided a stream of turbolaser fire. "We're in battery range of the Star Patroller Tagii's Fist," Pilot commented. "Orders?" A turbolaser blast rocked the cruiser, but the shields held. "Bee-line it passed the patroller. At full speed the robotic guns shouldn't make much contact." Ikali fired at a half group of fighters but missed by a centimeter. Two more were coming up on their aft. "Ma'am, are you sure that is wise?" Pilot asked. "Wise? Not at all," Hunter answered. "But unless we want to try flying past the bulk of the fleet, it's our best shot." "We got two groups on our six." Ikali broke in. "Copy," She said to the man. "You have any other ideas, Pilot?" She said to the droid. "No." it replied. "Brace for impact." The Imperium cruiser soared over the black and blue hull of the Tagii's Fist. A beam of hard green light whistled past. Most shots glanced off while others were off by meters. A turbolaser shattered one of the perusing phantoms and caused the rest of its group to veer off. The second group opened fire, further weakening the aft shields. Hunter twirled to port and picked of three more of the escaping ships, then tried desperately to destroy their pursuers. The angles just weren't right to pull off any effective shots. "Pilot, pull up hard and turn us ninety-degrees."  
"But Officer Hunter, that will put us in range of the two warships. Not to mention, deviate from our course out the planet's gravity." Hunter cursed. "Do it! We can deal with the warships when we get to them. But if that shield takes anymore hits, Ikali and I'll be sitting targets for laser fire. Now unless you want to-" Hunter paused to fire at another phantom. "-unless you want the Emperor's cover destroyed, you'd better do it." "Ma'am, their closing a net around us. If we do not continue on our present course, we won't survive. We can reach lightspeed in one minute." "Not if we're dead first!" She yelled. Turbolaser shots connected with the cruiser and collapsed the rear shields. "Do it now!" Too late. Ikali gave out a defiant cry as a group of fighters came right at him, guns blazing. The man blew one, two, and then three. Laser blasts slammed into the gun pod and initiated a flaring explosion that ended when the source of oxygen was cut-off by the closing of an emergency panel. "Get us out of here," Hunter said in a cold, unforgiving tone. "Now." A moment later, the Imperium cruiser bolted out of sight. 


	3. Chapter 1

ONE  
  
Conrad Green kneeled before the assembled group of beings that made up the illustrious Jedi High Council. Removing his brown robe, the blonde haired young man exposed his white tunic and pants, complimented by brown boots and a Jedi utility belt a few shades darker than that of his long robe. To his left side hung the silver lightsaber he had constructed only six years ago. It was one of the many palpable symbols that proved he was ready for this grand ceremony.  
Before him stood a group of twelve, each of differing species, inside the circular room that sat atop the highest spire of the Jedi Temple. The sky scrapper that had been known as Jedi Headquarters only fifteen years ago. With the reestablishment of the council and the decision to train half the growing number of students at this location, the Headquarters was built- up on a massive scale to provide the necessary facilities need to instruct a hundred or so initiates. While still under some construction, it had become a larger than life shinning spire and came to be known as the Jedi Temple by the public, fore it showed that the galaxy was ready to accept their new protectors and thought of them now as they did the old order. A member of the council, a female human with aging beauty, took a closer step to the center of the council chamber. Clad in a long tan tunic that covered her whole body and a Jedi robe of dark sienna, Jaina Cracken approached Conrad.  
The eighteen-year-old padawan learner tried to mask his excitement, but felt some might become apparent to the masters. This was a time for seriousness and focus, no time for foolish emotions. The small grin from Master Cracken comforted him slightly.  
She quickly composed he features, the gray hairs in her otherwise brunet hair appearing to sparkle in the dim late day light that filtered in from the massive windows that covered the walls.  
"Conrad Green, padawan of the Jedi Order. You have proven a loyal apprentice to Master Zering as well as a dedicated servant of peace." The woman announced to him. "It is the decision of this council that you be bestowed the title of Jedi Knight."  
Cracken placed her hands behind her back and slowly paced around the kneeling Green, saying, "But first you must realize what such a responsibility entails."  
The Wookiee Jedi Master, Lowbacca came forward and through the vocabulator he wore around his neck, said, "A Jedi Knight spends its entire life in the service of others."  
Beside him came the Gungan master, Barcis, saying, "De Force isa Knight's ally and itsa master."  
On the opposite side of Master Lowbacca, Chenuk, the Ewok began, "It provids ta Jeedai wis tis pouwer an its 'bility ta commone wis lif itsef."  
" A Jedi Knight also understands the danger of the dark side and is strong enough to resist it." The Selquian Jedi Master, Andur Naraga spoke from the side of Barcis.  
Next was the council's liaison to the New republic, Bothan Jedi Master and Admiral, Gorisk Kay'lya. " For the dark side promotes hatred, anger, and aggression."  
The small, but slim and muscular, Hutt master, Ketah added, " A knight only resorts to violence when there is no other option."  
" Though a Jedi can perform superhuman tasks, it is still the servant of the public." The Mon Calamari Jedi Master, Obile said.  
The silent female Noghri Jedi, Tehani stated, " Jedi are guardians of peace in the galaxy."  
" Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others." The blue-skinned female Duros master, Dors Kef, followed.  
Through his own vocabulator, the insectoid Verpine, Talus, said, " Jedi respect life in any form."  
The Ishi Tib master Razel Yi, concluded, " Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training. Serving others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy."  
Having been told before hand what would transpire at this event, Conrad knew when it was time for him to speak his piece. It had taken him all the previous night to memorize the sacred Oath of the Jedi Knights.  
The man bowed his head, the braid he wore behind his right ear dropping from its resting place on his shoulder to dangle vertically adjacent to head. The braid of that all human Jedi Padawans wore as a mark of their still growing skills as a Jedi.  
Conrad had disliked the padawan braid, always getting in the way of his movements. He was glad that it was to finally be removed for good.  
If I don't mess this up, he thought.  
" I, Conrad Green, pledge my life to the advancement of peace. I will uphold truth and justice, approach all situations will caution and care, always-choosing valor over temptation. I reject the dark side and all its evil." The padawan stated. " I will defend the defenseless. Help the helpless. Use my training to dispel all that would oppose peace and prosperity.  
I am neither superior nor inferior to anyone. The Force is my master, not my servant. I will abide by the Jedi Code.  
There is no emotion. There is peace.  
There is no ignorance. There is knowledge.  
There is no passion. There is serenity.  
There is no death, only the Force."  
Giving no response as to whether or not he had recited the oath correctly, the female senior council member merely gestured to someone behind Conrad.  
A man with long white hair and a similar beard approached using a polished wooden cane for support. From his red robes he pulled a lightsaber, halting right behind Green.  
The man flicked a switch and a cobalt shaft of light, the silence suddenly pierced by a dull humming, further illuminated the room.  
" I, Jedi Master Rog Zering, relinquish responsibility of my ward, Conrad Green." He spoke to the council.  
Focusing on the blonde strip of hair hanging from the other man's head, Zering swiped once with his lightsaber. The blue blade swept through the braid with surgical accuracy, seeming to slice the skin of Conrad's neck.  
The master extinguished the weapon as Cracken spoke again. " You are no longer the padawan of Master Zering. You are now responsible for your own actions. Your destiny is now solely in your hands.  
Arise Conrad Green, Jedi Knight."  
Conrad stood, scooping up his Jedi robe and giving a bow. In unison, the council returned the gesture.  
" May the Force be with you."  
The new Knight did an about face and promptly exited the council chamber.  
  
Waiting patiently outside the chamber was a Jedi Knight of similar age. He wore crimson red, save for a black vest, boots, a pair of finger- less gloves, a utility belt, and Jedi robe. A black and silver lightsaber hung to his side. Golden blonde hair framed the handsome features of his young face.  
He clapped slowly as Green approached, declaring with a grin, " Behold the Jedi Knight, Conrad Green."  
Conrad smiled, shaking his head in disbelief. " Laugh it up, Troy."  
The two hugged, Troy patting him on the back as they did.  
"Congratulations, buddy" Troy continued.  
The Jedi backed off, Conrad saying. " Thanks. I'm glad you were able to make it."  
Troy chuckled slightly, " Yeah, that's more than I can say." " Hey, I tried to make it down here last month for your knighting, but things were so hectic at the Academy, I didn't have time." Conrad defended as they entered the single turbolift on the floor.  
The doors shut and the lift car descended as the other knight replied, " No sweat man, that's what happens when your master is the head of the Skywalker Academy."  
" Well." Conrad trailed off.  
"Don't worry, now that we're our own men, we can be a team once again."  
" You bet." Green said, the two slapping hands. " Nobody'll ever stop us."  
" Just like old times."  
" Even better."  
The lift car stopped and the doors opened to let them out.  
The two exited and rounded a corner, but were stopped by a young Trandoshan bearing the padawan tattoo of hair-less apprentices and a like rank young woman.  
" Jados!" Conrad exclaimed. " Long time no see."  
The alien and the knight hugged, and then Jados asked jokingly, " So, do I have to call you 'sir' now?"  
" Be serious, Jados. Of course you do."  
The trandoshan smiled. " It's great to have you here again. It's been- what-a year?"  
" Too long, J. Too long."  
" Things just aren't the same without all the gang here."  
" Yeah, I know."  
" How long are you planning to stay here?"  
Conrad sighed as he thought. " I honestly don't know. At the least, the rest of the week."  
Conrad moved passed him, slapping him on the shoulder as he did. He came upon the female padawan as Jados went to converse with Troy.  
Without a word she wrapped her arms around the newly knighted Jedi and kissed him.  
Afterwards she whispered into his ear, " So Knight, why don't we ditch these two and I can give you a proper welcome.  
Overhearing, Jados and Troy laughed.  
Conrad smiled brightly. " I don't think that would be proper Jedi Knight conduct, Talia."  
" What's that supposed to mean?" She backed off a bit.  
" You're still just a little old padawan. I'm a big bad Jedi Knight now."  
Talia socked him in the arm, then said. " Ha-ha. Real cute."  
" Aren't I, though?" He kissed her again.  
Troy cleared his throat loudly. " If you're not too busy romancing my sister, Connie, other people are waiting to congratulate you."  
" Alright. If I must."  
Jados led them down the decoratively painted halls that housed the various guests the Jedi Temple would accommodate. A few dozen meters down was the room for which they took the young Jedi Knight.  
Inside was a small suite, reserved for important guests. Usually visiting Jedi Masters.  
" We're here, Uncle Anakin." Talia announced. A tall human with sandy colored hair and a worn, experienced, and not normally clean-shaven face emerged from a bedroom into the quaint anteroom.  
" There you are Conrad. Nice to see you again." He greeted.  
Green's eyes lit-up," Master Solo, you came all the way from Tekaida to see me?"  
" Well, it wasn't the only reason." Solo told him. " Please, sit down for a moment."  
The Jedi Master sat down in a large comfortable chair while he gestured for the others to do the same. He looked to Talia and Troy, saying, " Your mother called Allon and me out here. She wants to discuss something with me, though she wouldn't give details. You know, secret Jedi Master stuff."  
" You opted to shave the beard, Master Solo? Usually you have more hair on your face than on your head." Jados noticed  
Solo rubbed his bare jaw. " I never like wearing beards. They're always too scratchy and uncomfortable. But when Allon and I are on Tekaida, I don't have much of a choice considering the lack of technology. Besides, the beard is a sign of enlightenment and experience among the Selquians." He turned to Conrad " Have you been to Tekaida IX yet, Conrad?"  
The young man shook his head. " No, not yet. Perhaps now that I have some free time on my hands, I'll take a little vacation down there."  
" When are you planning to apply for placement?" " Oh, I'm not going to." Green revealed.  
" You aren't? Going the way of the roaming guardian like Troy?"  
Conrad reclined back. " Honestly, I haven't thought about that yet."  
" Well, yes, of course."  
Talia Cracken looked around the suite, and then said, " So where is Allon, anyway?"  
" Yeah." Conrad responded. " Am I ever going to meet this great new padawan I've been hearing about?"  
" I sent him off on a errand. He should be back soon. Stick around, you'll see him."  
" I've seen Allon around here a few times. Kinda short, even for a human boy."  
Troy snickered. " Well you're short for a trandoshan."  
Jados sneered. " I am not!"  
The male Cracken put his hands up in defense. " Hey, what ever you say.Shrimpy." He mumbled the last part.  
" Shrimpy! I-"  
" Boys!" Master Solo interrupted. " Behave yourselves."  
Jados sneered at Troy as he folded his long scaly arms in disgust.  
Solo waited a moment to make sure the problems would cease, than focused his attention on the former padawan learner, Conrad Green.  
" Well, lets get down to business now."  
" Yes?"  
" Congratulations on finally becoming a Jedi Knight. You've taken a step into a much larger world."  
" Don't you mean 'galaxy'?" Jados said, frustration still evident on his voice.  
The master's eyes narrowed as he stared down the reptilian alien. " It's a figure of speech."  
" Right." He replied, feeling stupid.  
" Anyway," He regarded Conrad, " I remember when I first met you- Actually met you. I was there when you were born. But after that I didn't see you again until you were seven years old. You were wide-eyed-mischievous-eyed too-and extremely eager to learn as much as you could about the Force. Already you were long time friends with Talia, Troy, and Jados, creating frustration and discontent for all your instructor's at the Jedi Academy. But you were good kids. Everyone knew that.  
"Conrad, I could tell from the day you were born that you contained a great connection to the Force. I foresaw great things from you that day. And I'm proud to see that I was right all along."  
Solo began to smile. " Oh, if only your parents could be here to see you now. But I know they're watching over you even now, and must be very proud of their boy.  
"Alec and Jysilla died heroes, Conrad. Never forget that. They, along with almost a hundred other Jedi gave their lives so that you kids could grow and prosper. Make this galaxy safer for their future generations. Your parents loved you very much. You were the best thing that ever happened to them. And you know what? I think you still are."  
The man's grin faded as he got more serious. " You're a Jedi Knight now Conrad. A grave responsibility has been set before. It's much easier being a padawan, because you only need watch and learn. But-"  
" You were never a padawan, Uncle Anakin." Troy commented.  
" True. But I was an apprentice none the less, Troy." Solo admitted. " But my point is that you're in control of situations now. There will generally be no one around to tell you if you've made a mistake or not. No more masters. You might be called upon to make command decisions, on your own, that mean the death or survival of innocent people. But," Master Solo looked to all of them, " if ever there was a group of young Jedi that I felt were really ready for such a task, it's you four. You will be the future leaders of the Jedi. I know this to be true. As long as you remain focused and always stay in-tune with the will of the Force, I don't see that fact ever changing."  
The young Jedi all took turns saying their thank yous for the compliment, then the five all conversed about other points of interest for the following ten minutes. They were interrupted by the appearance of Master Zering at the door.  
" Conrad, there you are." He said as he entered. " Greetings Anakin. Talia, Troy, Jados."  
" Please, come in, sit down Master Rog."  
The elder Jedi Master took a seat adjacent to the others and looked upon the man who less than an hour earlier had been his apprentice. " I've been looking all over for you. Shame on you for making an old man search this god-awfully long temple." Zering said playfully.  
Conrad chuckled, " My apologies, master."  
" So how does it feel to be free of an old fossil like myself."  
" Oh Master Zering, your not a fossil."  
The old man was taken aback by the sudden compliment. " Why, thank you, Conrad."  
"No," Green continued, " you're way passed fossil. More like a soon to be super-novaing star."  
Zering couldn't help but laugh. " Fare enough. Fare enough."  
" Can I get you something to drink, Rog?" Master Solo asked.  
He waved the younger master away, saying, " No, no. I'm fine. Actually I just came to collect Conrad." Rog turned to him. " I'd like to speak with you in private if you don't mind."  
" Yes, right away, Master."  
The Jedi Knight got up and considered the others. " If you all will excuse me."  
" Go on. Go on." Solo instructed.  
" Goodbye, Master Solo. Bye guys."  
" I'll see you later, Conrad." Anakin replied.  
" Bye, Conrad." Talia sounded.  
" See ya later, Conrad." Jados followed.  
" Bye, Connie." Troy said last.  
The master and the knight departed swiftly to the outer corridors to discuss matters of mutual interest.  
When they were gone, Solo turned to the others. " Wait two minutes, then we'll all go."  
Eighty-eight year old Jedi Master Rog Zering strolled casually down the ornate corridors of the Jedi Temple alongside his former padawan, Conrad Green.  
The skies had darkened on Courscant. The barrage of lights from passing air traffic seemed like mere flickering dots as they sped by the massive building. Twilight on the capital was something to behold to new comers, but a spectacle Master Zering had seen a thousand times since the recapture of the world from Imperial hands some fifty years ago.  
Rog had had a long, and he would like to think adventurous, life. At only sixteen years old, he had left his home planet of Almania to seek the stars as a technician for the Alliance to Restore the Republic, the Rebellion. Serving aboard the Corellian Corvette, Montgomery, than the infamous Mon Calamari Battle Cruiser, Home One; Zering had seen many battles, including The Battle of Endor.  
His superiors had always said he was an extremely apt worker and especially perceptive person. He later came to know that this was due to a connection with the Force. The power of the Jedi. The power that the mighty Luke Skywalker was famous for wielding to defeat Darth Vader and the Emperor. So when it came time for Skywalker's search for those he could teach in the ways of that Force, Zering felt compelled to answer the call. Though older than most of the trainees at the Jedi paraxeum, he felt at home on Yavin 4. The road to Knighthood and away from the temptations of the dark side had been a difficult one. Both by great internal struggle and greater external struggles. Always it seems the balance of peace was in peril by enemies both foreign and domestic.  
The Jedi Master had fought to see the defeat of the Empire, the expulsion of the Yuuzhan Vong, and the destruction of Valen Draxx's Dark Jedi cult. After all those events, mainly because of almost loosing his right leg in a duel, Rog Zering had dedicated the rest of his life to total pacifism, shunning combat all together. He had tried to teach a few of his new found views to a young, impressionable boy named Conrad Green, but knew it wouldn't be wise to make his apprentice see things they way he did. Taking a padawan learner was not a chance to impose ones views on another, but to let them see those views and decide for themselves.  
To that end, Conrad was quick to draw his lightsaber in a conflict, but would always take heed his master's words.  
Zering's life felt complete now. He'd resisted the dark side, defeated evil many times, and trained an apprentice. Now it was just a matter of setting Conrad on the right track.  
" So, now that you've had time to think, have you devised an answer to my question last night?" The master asked.  
Green let out a big breath and said, " I have. And I think I'm going to become a full instructor at the academy."  
" Are you sure? You'd be taking a great step. From apprentice to instructing initiates seems like a grave responsibility. Why not apply for an assignment with the council. See the galaxy; learn first hand what actually transpires out there. Perhaps even just travel a while like Troy. It will better help in instruction later on."  
" Oh, I don't know. I don't think I want to hop transports around the galaxy like him, but adventuring around seems to be an enticing idea. You see, that's why I want to go work at the academy. Hopefully, after a decade or so, I'll be able to afford some form of personal ship."  
" Actually, you may be closer to your dream than you think, m'boy."  
Conrad looked at him. " What are you getting at?"  
The two walked a bit farther, then Zering asked, " Are you familiar with a man named Booster Terrik?"  
" He was my great grandfather, wasn't he?"  
The master nodded, " As well as a very wealthy man."  
" As I came to understand."  
" You see, when Booster died a while back, He left a substantial inheritance to his grandchildren. Your mother never did much with her money, having been a Jedi. And for that matter, neither did your uncle, Valin. That left a lot of credits in the bank in the name of your family."  
" Okay." The confused Knight said.  
" I checked back around the time your parents died, and you are the only surviving member of the Green and Horn family. So now that you are legally of age, that money is now in your possession."  
" What? How much?" The two Jedi halted outside two large double doors. Zering reached into his tunic and produced a datapad. He flicked it open, called up a program, then displayed it to Conrad. " One billion, two hundred thirteen million, nine hundred seventy-two credits. All in your name."  
In shock, Green grabbed the small computer and examined it further.  
" You're joking."  
" Would I ever joke about such things?"  
" I can buy a ship with that kind of money. A big one." He said to himself, then looked up. " This is real?"  
" You can go by the galactic bank later and check for yourself."  
" Later? Why later?"  
" Because we're here." Zering told him.  
" Here? Where?"  
Master Zering opened the doors to the temple's grand banquet hall.  
  
" Surprise!"  
  
Conrad Green came in with a shocked smile on his face as Master Zering led him through the room-filled with more than a dozen beings that had come to congratulate the Jedi-to the head of a long banquet table. In attendance were Talia, Troy, and Jados, the council, Master Solo-Allon was still nowhere to be seen-and other assorted people that knew Conrad.  
Seated to Green's left was Master Cracken, with Zering taking up the chair to the opposite side. Talia sat next to her mother and master in the ways of the Jedi, and Troy rested beside Master Solo who was placed to Zering's side. Next was Jados on Talia's side and his master, Andur Naraga on Troy's. The others were placed equally along the table thereafter.  
Champagne was served to all save for the two padawans who were forced to settle for some form of nonalcoholic liquid. This alone showed the importance of the event, for the Jedi all but forbid the consumption of alcohol. Conrad felt there had to be a catch to all this. Zering leaned over to his former apprentice and underneath the sounds of various conversations, mentioned, "You wouldn't believe how overjoyed the council was when they heard you would be willing to pay for such extravagance."  
It took Green a moment to comprehend what the master was saying. " How generous of me." He replied as he realized that Zering had promised that Conrad's money would pay for all this.  
The Jedi Order, grand as it may be now days, was still an Order funded by donations and a small New Republic grant. Such celebrations like this one could not be allowed into the budget. Especially ones this seemingly expensive.  
He added, " Tell them to put it on my tab." The not surprisingly expensive meal was served. It was a dinner of exotic poultry and vegetables that would please anyone. This was a special treat for the attendance, even Conrad himself. They were Jedi, not accustomed to fancy meals of any sort. Conrad grabbed his glass and stood up. Everyone got silent when they noticed. " Before we eat, I would like to propose a toast." He announced. " I'd like to thank everyone who came here today. You're support is much appreciated, I assure you. But I really don't understand what the fuss is about. I'm nobody special. Just another Jedi Knight in a long line of others. I don't deserve this kind of treatment. Nonetheless, I am grateful. Perhaps you all see something in me that I don't yet understand. And it is a great honor to know that you care enough to notice. Thank you all." Conrad shifted his attention to the female Jedi Master next to him. "I give thanks to Master Cracken. With out your presence in my life, I don't believe any of this could be possible. You united the Jedi in a time of chaos. Fore without your actions, it would not have been possible for me to train to become what I am today. Of course, I also need to thank you and General Cracken for creating such a lovely daughter. Who with out, I would have no inspiration." He said. " Thanks for Troy too, I guess." The other Knight gave a joking sneer. Conrad acknowledged him, then turned to the old Jedi to his other side." To Master Zering, The Skywalker Academy taught me the skills needed to be a Jedi, but you were the one that made me a Jedi. Your guidance and wisdom has helped me to realize not only the importance of being a Jedi, but the importance of the Jedi being present in the galaxy. It's a concept I thought I understood as an initiate at the academy, but I never truly knew what it meant. I know now that there is no real answer as to why I wanted to be a Jedi. It's a feeling inside me that just makes it feel so right. As if I am personally contributing to the balance of the Force. This is a lesson all Jedi must learn, but none teach it as well as you. And I would like to thank you very personally for being there when my parents died in the Conflict. You really helped me out at a time when I was very young and scared about the future. I could never have gotten through it without you." Green looked to all of them. " Without all of you supporting me through the years, I'd have been lost in a sea of anguish. You all are my family." He looked up to the ceiling. " Don't think I forgot about you, Mom and Dad. Thank you for everything." The Jedi went on down the line, thanking everyone personally for all his or her contributions. When he was finished, he made an announcement. " I understand that I have come upon a bit of good luck. It seems the Force favors me." He began. " As some of you may know, I've inherited a great deal of money. But I am a Jedi. I never wanted fortune or any kind of wealth. Our way of life is provided by prosperous individuals that have the kindness in their hearts to share their good fortune with us. By bestowing money to our cause, they help the galaxy on just as grand a scale as the Order does. The Jedi do not believe in greed. Our code forbids it. But like it or not, it takes credits-and a lot of them-to keep our way of life going. So it is with great satisfaction that I contribute to the foundation that made me what I am today. "I am donating four hundred million credits to the Jedi Temple and five hundred million to the Skywalker Academy. This money rightfully belongs to the public. And I see no other way to aid the public than to support the Jedi." Everyone in the room began to clap happily. Master Cracken, the senior council member and head master of the Jedi Temple, and Master Zering, the head master at the Skywalker Academy, gave extra appreciation. " I know that no amount of money can show just how much I care, but I can only hope that it helps." 


	4. Chapter 2

TWO  
  
Andur Naraga, master of the Jedi arts, sat comfortably on the long bed inside his relatively posh dormitory. It sat inside the highest towers of the Jedi Temple. A room reserved only for the members of the Jedi Council that resided in the temple. He was in a deep Jedi trance, reflecting on the living Force, the essence, Selquia, as his people called it. Naraga was a Selquian, a tall, simian-evolved alien with lightened auburn fur covering his body. His head was considered somewhat long, with a horse- like muzzle and a large bony crest at the back of his skull. Andur's jaw was gray black, showing his age, with a thin braided goatee. A dark, bat- like nose sat atop his muzzle with hanging sacks underneath his onix black, white pupiled, offset eyes at the opposite sides of his head. The master's head sat above a long neck, crooked outward like a bird. His humanoid body with projecting shoulder blades was covered in a gray tunic and pants. The black Jedi robe he usually wore lay on the bed beside his curled prehensile tail. Andur's fingers were thin, fur covered digits with small pointed climbing claws at the ends. Claws he had not had the chance to use since the last time he was on his home world of Tekaida IX some years ago. Tekaida IX was a small jungle moon in the Tekaida system, home to the Selquian race. The Selquians were a special species of people, naturally attuned to the Force. They had evolved from mammalian reptiles that had dwelled in the trees. Over the course of millions of years, those creatures became more adept at surviving on the forest floor, eventually becoming the modern Selquians. Their plant was discovered a few years after the war with the Vong, as primitive as it appears today. They believe in a religion known as "Selquia", a following of the energy field that created all life on their world. The Selqia was everywhere, in the rocks, the trees, the water, the animals, and the moon. It was the father of reality itself. The supreme power in their single world universe, fore they knew nothing of the galaxy at large. Perhaps out of pure primitive ignorance or contentness with what they already had. Few knew that it was the latter that was true. All Selquians lived at peace with nature and themselves, which led to their unorthodox lifestyle. In their entire history, there has not been a single act of aggression between species. No wars, no battles, no duels for power, but complete pacifism. They all shared a supernatural bond with each other that led to peaceful solutions to all their problems. Having a total connection to all things, Selquians did not see the reason to soil their utopia with technology of any sort. The more prosperous technological advances become, the wider the rift between living beings and nature. This ideal was almost identical to that of the Yuuzhan Vong, except that Selquians did not shun or despise those who utilize technology when contact was made. Instead, Selquians greet all visitors to their world with open arms. When those visitors did arrive-a group of Jedi that had found the system by accident-they were amazed at the society before them. All the beings were attuned to the Force and deeply connected with it. Those Jedi: Anakin and Jaina Solo, the Twi'lek, Ralin, and the Noghri, Tehani, had met up with a wise and powerful being known as Andurnaiqui of clan Naraga, or Andur as they came to call him. Andur had been a Selquian hunter. When he had gotten lost from his party and badly injured by a predatory creature, his cry of help in the Force rang-out loud and was felt by the Jedi. They set down on the unknown planet believing one of their own was in peril and found the young man unconscious on the ground in a pool of blood beside the dead creature. Acting quickly, the Jedi took the strange being aboard their ship and provided medical aide and Force-healing. Naraga had woken-up and was not the least bit alarmed at the sight of unfamiliar life forms. Through the Essence, he had known they were friendly and wished him no harm. By using their bizarre golden automation, Andurnaiqui was soon speaking with his rescuers by way of the living metal being.  
Andur clan Naraga had led them to the large village he called Tatel a few kilometers south of their location. A wondrous gathering of the alien's called Selquians that came in an assortment of colors, from brown, tan, and black fur, to white, red, and even gold pelts. All teeming with the Force, the whole planetoid was awash in the mystical energy field. The Jedi learned that the Selquians knew a great deal about the living Force, what they called the Essence. But they knew nothing of the magic- like powers that very "Essence" bestowed upon them. This fact and the notion that everywhere was beings that were connected to nature amazed them. None more than Andurnaiqui of clan Naraga. He would keep the visitors up at all hours during their stay, listening to the stories of their great and sometimes dark history as he slowly learned Basic. For the first time in his, in any Selquian's, life he was not content to remain on Tekaida. He wished to leave with the visitors and become a Jedi like them. The elder of clan Naraga, the universally wise and unbelievably strong in the Force, Tiznipiniquo or Kamiko as he was known, listened well to his son Andur's reasons and motivations and grudgingly agreed to allow him to go off and pursue his dream. The younger Naraga had stated that he had learned of dangers to peaceful beings and more importantly the possible dangers to the motherland, Tekaida. Like all his kind, Andur had a vast understanding of the Force; only the Jedi equaled his emotional stability. Once the Jedi High Council realized this fact, Andur began his bright career as a Jedi. After just eight years of training under the council, Andur Naraga was given the title of Jedi Knight. His mastery of hunting spears and other long weapons made him the only Jedi in the history of the order to build and control the formidable double-bladed lightsaber. This weapon came in handy when Valen Draxx began his Dark Jedi Insurrection. His bravery and clear thinking in those battles with the Dark Siders earned him the title of Jedi Master and assured his place of the Council.  
Across the room, the communications terminal beeped its signal that their was a person trying to contact the master's quarters. Through the Force, Naraga already knew who it was.  
Unfolding his legs for the first time in hours, The Selquian moved to answer the call. The machines flat screen showed a flawlessly clear picture of a distraught Anakin Solo.  
" Anakin, you look worried, my friend." Naraga commented. " There is a problem?"  
" I'm afraid so." He replied from his guest dormitory. " Allon is missing."  
" Missing? For how long?"  
" It's been more than two hours." Solo told him. " I know that sounds dumb, but he was only supposed to go down to the Temple workshops for some parts-He's almost finished building his lightsaber, you know-that was over two hours ago. Allon lived here for nine years, surely he knows his way around, so he couldn't have gotten lost. I was expecting him to be back within a half-hour. But you know Allon; he's young and mischievous. For all I know, he's been distracted by something and has lost track of time."  
" Indeed." Andur agreed.  
" What worries me the most is that I can't sense him anywhere. Perhaps I'm not focused enough. I was wondering if you would be able to sense him."  
" I was just meditating, good friend. I could feel all in the Temple, but I could not feel Allon, I'm sorry."  
" Don't worry. I'm doing enough of that for the both of us. I guess I'll have to go searching for him."  
" You are tired from your journey, dear Anakin, you are in no shape to trek around the Temple." Andur told him.  
" Well I must do something. I can't just sit around and hope for the best."  
" Then do not. Go to sleep old friend. You need the rest." The Selquian Jedi instructed. " I have been searching for another test of Jados's skills as a Jedi. I believe this would be a fair trial."  
" I don't mean to offend you or Jados, he's an amazing an apt apprentice, but I can't put my faith in him for this task. I sense possible danger afoot." Solo revealed.  
" As do I. Which is why we must not stall. So, I am asking you to trust me. I would not put Allon's life in danger merely to satisfy my own whims. Trust in Jados. Trust in me."  
Anakin was quiet as he considered. " You believe he can be depended upon to find Allon, even if he is in the gravest of dangers?"  
" I do. Jados will find Allon, I assure you."  
" Alright." The son of Han Solo agreed. " But I'm not going to sleep until he's found."  
" As you wish." The alien said with a nod.  
The image faded to black as Solo ended the transmission.  
  
Jados sat alone at a large metal study in the anteroom of the dormitory he shared with his master. With his less-than articulate three digit talons, the young trandoshan thumbed through a copy of Jedi literature. He couldn't find any mention of trandoshan Jedi ever existing before him.  
As far as anyone could think, there had never been any trandoshans in the entire history of the Order. Surely they were wrong. Surely there had to be others. While it was obvious that his species was not very well connected with the Force, Jados felt it hard believe that none had ever been trained as a Jedi. Their home world of Dosha had been allied with the Galactic Republic, so they were in the eyes of the Jedi Order of old, yet nothing. Master Naraga had suggested that trandoshans might have been opposed to handing away their young to members of an alien species, Jados chose to believe that not all trandoshans were as stingy. They weren't some terrible monsters that wanted to kill all, trandoshans, while emotional, were civilized creatures.  
He had taken into account that trandoshans were a normally very carnivorous, blood thirsty, intolerant species, but he felt it didn't matter much. He had been born with those same instincts, but through the Force and the ways of the Jedi, he had purged those feelings. Indeed he may be a trandoshan by race, but he was something else by heart. He was a Jedi.  
Jados had many friends, beyond Conrad, Talia, and Troy. They all accepted him for who, not what he is. They would never betray him and always stand beside him the face of adversity.  
But still Jados felt empty inside. He longed for a person he could truly identify with; a being that felt as left out as he did.  
Others had families: A father, a mother, brothers, sisters: a history that they could claim when they were ready. Jados would never see his parents. They had abandoned him while he was still inside an egg. It wasn't known whether it was intentional or by a twist of fate. But Master Naraga had found him on a deserted space station orbiting the home world. He in his egg was the only living thing on the station, lying in a pile of debris from the all but destroyed space habitat. Apparently pirates had raided it and it for dead. No sign of any trandoshans, killed or otherwise. There was just a hidden egg. Naraga had taken it to the council while he was still a knight, sensing the unborn child's aptitude for the Force. They had accepted it and sent it to the academy on Yavin 4. Once hatched, Jados was trained as a Jedi, treated like all the other students had been. When he the age, the now Master Naraga took him as his apprentice. Jados had been told he had a bright future, but he never had a real past. Just then, Master Naraga emerged from his bedroom with a sense of patient urgency on his face. Unless you were familiar with a selquian's facial movements, their emotions were difficult to read. But Jados had been around Naraga for some time now and therefore knew something was amiss. " A problem, Master?" He inquired. Naraga placed his arms behind his back and said, " Potentially." Jados turned completely around to give his master the attention he deserved. " I have just spoke with Master Solo. It would appear that Allon Paje has gone missing." " How terrible." The apprentice commented. " Yes. Allon was sent down to the Workshops to obtain the final components for his lightsaber." " Alright. What's the trouble part?" " That was two hours ago. He hasn't returned since." The trandoshan whistled. " That's quite a long time just to go down a dozen floors. He must be lost." " And you will determine if this is so." The master instructed. " What?" " I have volunteered your services to find Allon." Naraga clarified. " But Master, I'm in the middle of some important research here, I don't have time to traverse the Temple corridors to find a wayward padawan." " Time for studies later, young Jados. A being is in need of your assistance. Surely you will not decline." The younger Jedi sighed. " Yes, of course I won't." " Excellent. You may be ready to be a knight after all. This task should provide me with some reasonable insight into thought." " Then is this a test?" He asked as he got-up from his chair. " Refer to it as you wish, Padawan." " Yes, Master." Jados replied as he started off. " I would go to the Workshops first, if I were you." " Yes, Master." The tan door slid closed behind him as we walked for the nearest turbolift at the end of the hallway. Jados felt this wasn't going to be as easy as it seemed. The Force was hinting at it. He entered the lift and instructed the computer to take him down to the twentieth floor, inside the training sections of the Temple. The giant tower was made-up of five sections. The training centers on the bottom took up the first twenty-five floors, with the student dorms on the next dozen. The ten hanger bays made the following eleven levels. Quartering for quests, the temple staff, and the council was third with another dozen floors. Finally, "Jedi Central" as it was called, capped the spire with thirteen floors, the Council Chamber at the very top. Jedi Central was the place where the Jedi Council monitored, guided, and assigned the current five hundred and two Jedi Knights and Masters roaming the galaxy. It also served as a place of discussion and decision among the council. Any business concerning the order was carried out there. Only the council and a few other trusted Masters had access to all the floors in that section. It was rumored among the Temple's initiates that on the restricted levels was a vault filled with priceless treasures from countless ages as well as a secret museum of Sith artifacts that had been found inside the Imperial Palace, relics from Emperor Palpatine's personal collection. But the masters neither confirmed nor denied the accusations, merely stating to the students as a reply, "Become a Jedi Master and then see for yourself." The lift came to a stop a minute later and opened into a hall with dark green walls and strategically placed plants along the way. It was short and ended with a gray sliding door that led into the shops. It all seemed strange to Jados as he came into the colossal room that took up the remainder of the floor, filled with a triple handful of ten meter work tables and a multitude of power tools. Usually when one came to this place, they entered a world of buzzes, blares, and whistles of tools being operated as well as the shouts of instructions from the shop instructor, an old and experienced craftsman, Master Finch, an antiquated soul from the fringes of space. If you needed training on construction, whether it is a lightsaber or an astromech droid, he was the man to see at the Temple. He was strict, but friendly when you got to know him. The man with short cropped-gray hair and blue Jedi robes spied the entrance of the trandoshan padawan of Andur Naraga through the large window of his office. The room was positioned beside the storage chamber at the southern end of the shop. He promptly came out to greet him. " Little late to be acquiring parts, son." The man commented with a yawn. " I was about'ta close-up fer the night." " No parts today, Master. I need a bit of information." Finch placed his hands on his sore back and replied, " Shoot." " I understand that Allon Paje was down here a while ago requesting some parts for his lightsaber." " Who?" " Allon Paje, Master Solo's apprentice." " Oh, Solo's boy. Yah, he was down'er 'bout.two hours ago, I reckon. Needed some Quantix surge fuses, but we're all out till the next shipment gets here in two weeks. Told'em I'd let'em know soon as they got in." " Okay." Jados listened. " But that boy was adamant 'bout getten those fuses ta'night. He told me not'ta go'ta the trouble of givin him special treatment, that he'd go to the difficulty of getten'um elsewhere. So's I said all right, assumen he'd go back'ta Solo and get'em to take'me elsewhere. I sense now, he didn't, did he?" " Not as far as Master Solo, Master Naraga, and I know. He was last seen heading for the Workshop." " Well, I wish I could tell'ya I knew where he went, but I can't." Master Finch said. " He didn't say anything about where he was going?" Jados asked. " Sorry, no." The young Jedi thought for a moment, then said, " Thank you for your help, sir." " Hey, wish I could do more." Jados nodded. " Thank you." " You're welcome." Finch said back. " Have a good night, Master Finch." " You too, Jados. May the Force be with'ya."  
  
Jados knocked at the small door to the Temple's security office. He was on the sixty-eighth floor of the tower, well into Jedi Central. It was the most technological floor in the Central, also housing various communications and holoprojector rooms. The level was one of the more open areas of Central; all non-initiate Jedi had access to it. For apprentices, admittance was only provided if you had a legitimate reason. Jados felt it did. He was focused on entering the security office, nothing else. It contained the monitors and more importantly the recordings from the holocams installed throughout the Temple. Ran by Chief of Security Tilier, a stern Twi'lek Jedi Knight, the security office should give the trandoshan apprentice a good lead as to where Allon might have gone. Chief Tilier answered the knock, already notified by Master Naraga of Jados's need to view security tapes and given instructions to allow the young Jedi full access to the system. An order Tilier did not agree with. " Come in, Jados. I have the recordings from earlier tonight ready for your search." The alien in navy-blue security robes told him, a faint hint of agitation in his voice. Tilier was from a military background. His father served in the New Republic's navy back when Admiral Pellaeon conceded the Empire's defeat. His grandfather was a General that fought the Imperials through the entire civil war. His great grandfather was an Old Republic Admiral who as a child lived out of Republic jurisdiction and was passed over for Jedi training. It was for the best though; fore it saved him and his family from the Emperor's purge. Tilier had the firm belief that anyone not associated with temple security should back away and let the professionals do their job.  
  
" Thank you, Chief Tilier." Jados said politely, not sensing the old Knight's frustration. The Twi'lek led the trandoshan into a darkened room that was awash in monitors and surveillance equipment, staffed by droids, five other Jedi Knights, and two initiate aged security interns. There was an empty space at the consoles where Tilier led Jados. " All the tapes from the last three hours have been loaded in, so go right ahead and begin your search." The Chief said. " If you need any assistance, I or any one here would be happy to help." Jados nodded and took a seat where he was directed and got straight to work. His first order of business would be to decide which areas of the Temple that Allon could possibly have gone to. He deduced that the likely places would be the initiate quarters-there were only a few dozen where one might find lightsaber parts (If you were willing to steal from hardworking students). Jados didn't know Allon well enough to have a sense of the boy's morals. He took a few minutes to check that out. Solo's padawan wasn't there now, nor was he there ever. Next was the warehouse on very first floor. It was possible that Master Finch was unaware of any clandestine crates of Quantix surge fuses. Likely Allon went there. He searched the records. Sure enough, there was the little brown-haired ten- year-old boy rummaging through boxes. Jados checked the time of the tape. That was more than an hour ago. Allon wasn't in the warehouse now and he hadn't returned to Master Solo. If that were so, Master Naraga would have notified him that the boy was safe and sound. Indeed, the monitor now showed Allon leaving empty handed.  
He must have gone elsewhere. This kid is pretty mischievous. He and Conrad have a lot in common, Jados thought. There was only one more logical place to look for him: The airspeeder hanger on the thirty-eighth floor. But was Allon defiant enough to actually go out on his own? Jados had another thought. Allon couldn't have gone any farther than that. He was only ten years old and more than likely had never even flown an airspeeder in the simulators. Besides, whoever was on airspeeder duty this week would certainly not allow a ten-year-old padawan access to a vehicle, even if they claimed to have authorization. It was temple policy that no one under the age of sixteen could pilot an airspeeder unless accompanied by a certified adult. Any apprentices over sixteen still required the okay of their master or other senior Jedi. There were no exceptions to any of the Temple rules. Jados called up the recordings for that floor. He forwarded through a few hours of relative stillness and it began to look as if he was wrong after all until finally the little Jedi boy showed up at the admissions desk and began a conversation with a sixteen-year-old female Iktotchi padawan of a piloting instructor, Kral Zeda. Unfortunately, there was no audio. The trandoshan Jedi watched intently. After a moment, Kral turned him away.  
Well, I'm out of ideas.  
He was about to give-up his observation of the hanger tapes when something caught his attention. Jados played back what he saw, a small dark figure partly visible, moving in the shadows. He quickly froze the image.  
" Chief Tilier." The alien Jedi called out.  
The Twi'lek came in from his office and stopped beside him, saying, "Yes?"  
" Is there a way to focus on the image over in the corner?" He pointed his big middle claw at the figure.  
Tilier narrowed his eyes to focus on the spot. He typed a few keys on the console before them.  
A box surrounded the frozen image and brought in tight on the screen. The resolution cleared up, but it was still to dark to see clearly.  
" Hold on." Tilier told Jados then pressed more buttons.  
The screen tinted red and the entire figure was visible illuminated.  
" That's Allon!" Jados exclaimed.  
" Now calm down." The Twi'lek told him then took up the search himself."  
The screen switched to the view from another holocam in the hanger.  
Allon crept to a small, two person, blue airspeeder and slowly opened the swinging door. He looked around to see if anyone could see him, then slipped in side. There was no movement after he shut the door then the engines powered up and the ship flew. Kral Zeda came into view as she rushed to see what was going on. She looked around desperately to see if anyone was around. Then stopped and stared out the open hanger. " She never reported anything." Tilier commented then blew out a big breath. Kral gradually walked out of the picture. " I can't believe it. She didn't report!" Tilier exclaimed. He turned to Jados, " Let's go." The two Jedi quickly sprinted out and through the halls, not stopping until they were in the area of Zeda's responsibility. The green robed female sat at her desk nervously. She jumped up as Jados and Tilier dashed into the room. " Young lady, you've got a lot of explaining to do." The security Chief snapped. " But I-" She began. " What were you thinking?" " I.I.I knew I would get in trouble if I reported a speeder was taken without my knowing. I didn't think it would be a problem. Who ever took it obviously knew how to fly it and must've had a serious reason." Kral responded frantically. " You know very well who took that airspeeder. Don't play dumb with me, Zeda." Tilier reprimanded. " A lot of trust is put into you when you're given this assignment and." The Twi'lek stopped and looked at Jados. " What are you doing? Go after him!" " Yes, sir." Jados said. He turned on his heels and went for the closest available vehicle, a white four-seater ten meters away. In a flash, he was off into the night.  
  
Jados calibrated the instruments inside the airspeeder he piloted to show the location of a specific vehicle. He input the information for the transponder signal for the speeder that Allon had borrowed; though the term stolen sounded better to the trandoshan. It didn't surprise him much to see that the small craft's low-powered scanners couldn't pick up the trace. It wasn't likely that he would get anything unless he was close. And on a giant maze of a planet like Courscant, it would take a miracle to locate him by this conventional method. The ship's onboard comlink chirped, telling him that there was someone trying to get through. The identifier told that it was based at the Temple. The senior padawan flicked the channel open and asked, " Yes?" " Chief Tilier, here." Came the voice. " Go ahead, sir." " I figured it would be best to stay in contact with you incase you require any help from the Temple's systems." Tilier told him. " Yes, sir." Jados told him. " I appreciate the assistance." " I've done a survey with the security scanners and I'm afraid I couldn't pick up anything." Jados took his craft around some slower ships and jinked around a skyscraper. " I've got negative on my sensors." The younger male commented in agreement. " Try to stretch out with the Force to see if you can feel his presence." Tilier directed. " I'll give it a shot, but I haven't really been around Allon enough to be able to distinguish his presence from anyone else out here." Tilier's grunt was audible over the comm. " I was afraid of that." " I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help in that area, sir."  
" Don't fret. We'll think of something."  
Jados took the airspeeder down lower to avoid traffic, then came up again and soared of the rooftop of a nearby office building. Still the "borrowed" ship did not appear on the scopes.  
" What happened with Kral Zeda?" Jados finally asked.  
" She was taken back to the dorms by her master to be reprimanded." The Twi'lek answered.  
" What is going to happen to her?"  
" Well, I would imagine she'll go before the council tomorrow. Her punishment depends on Allon's well being. When you find him-If you find him- if he is all right, than I believe she will only receive probation from the hangers, as well as a stern talking to by her master. But if he is wounded-- or worse-than her punishment will be sever. We can only hope for the best, for Allon's sake."  
Great! No pressure here! If I can bring Allon back in one piece, Kral will be all right. But if I fail, I fail her, Allon, Master Naraga, and more importantly, Master Solo! No pressure at all.  
Jados shook all the thoughts from his head as he veered around a pair of cargo freighters. If would serve no one if his mind was clouded by doubt. If he calmed himself and let the Force flow naturally, with hope it would lead the two together. The Jedi immersed himself in the energy field. Like a warm blanket, it wrapped around him, guiding his actions. Jados felt his hands become one with the controls. He became the consciousness inside a larger metallic creature. A majestic bird that glided through the sky with nimble grace. It swooped and swerved around the landscape, always choosing the quickest, simplest path.  
Suddenly, a green dot popped up on the sensor screen. Jados's concentration was shattered. He spied the instruments for further information.  
" Chief Tilier, I've got something." He said.  
" Yes?"  
" It's a faint signal, but it's there...Stationary, it would appear." Jados elaborated.  
But does that mean it's parked or crashed?  
" Receiving coordinates." Jados announced. " I'm going in for a closer look."  
According to the data in front of him, Allon's vehicle was about a half klick away and rested on the wide rooftop of a corporate storage building-not exactly a designated landing spot. It led Jados to only think the worse.  
" Uh-oh." He mumbeled as the facility came into view.  
The airspeeder was still unable to be seen, but that did not apply to the plume of black-gray smoke lifting into the heavens from the craft's general direction.  
As he decreased to landing speed, a charred wreck of metal finally became visible.  
" Oh-no." Jados, though not acquainted with Allon's Force signature, could nonetheless fell no life what so ever in the area of the crashed ship. He set down his vehicle and was quick out the pilot's side door.  
He approached the wreckage with caution, not assured yet that there was nothing left to combust inside it. Still, he felt no presence.  
With the Force, he levitated a chunk of blackened debris and flung it to the side. To his surprise and great relief, there was no crisped body of a young ten-year-old human boy. It seemed Allon had survived the strange crash and vacated the scene-not an intelligent decision is Jados's mind. But at the very least, there was a good chance that he was still alive.  
The trandoshan padawan sighed. Allon could be anywhere now and Jados couldn't tell how long ago he had wrecked. It seemed like it was going to be an especially long night tonight. He closed his dark-sienna Jedi robe to shut out the cold night area and took a look around in the obscurity. Obscurity only to one whom could not see well in darkness, but this was not the case with Jados. Low light, no light, bright light; it was all the same to a trandoshan. It was a talent Jados relished in having when he needed.  
" Allon, where are you?" The young alien whispered.  
As if in reply, there was a small flicker in the Force. A living being not to far away.  
Allon?  
It came from Jados's left, about two dozen meters out.  
The Jedi spied the top of a ladder protruding form the edge of the roof in that direction. Without giving it any further thought, he sprinted to the ladder and peered out.  
There, out in the distance on the long, adjoining rooftop was a sliding door that led inside. Just as the alien looked, the door sealed shut.  
Allon.  
Using a trick that Troy had shown him once, Jados slipped down the ladder and bolted across the duracrete floor, within seconds he was through the door. The slender corridor inside was adequately lit and boasted a single door at the other end that just recently shut. The trandoshan Jedi wasted no more time and moved swiftly through the portal. On the other end was a commodious chamber that had multiple exits. Graffiti shrouded signs of various establishments lined the walls in several languages and crude pictographs. All this would strike Jados were he in a different situation, but his focus was on the brown-haired boy in Temple robes trotting away, unaware of Jados. The trandoshan halted. " Allon Paje, I presume." The boy froze in his tracks and slowly turned to face Jados. " I'm in trouble aren't I." It wasn't a question. Jados came forward. " I'd say so. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?" " You're Jaddo, aren't you? Where is Master Solo?" Allon asked with a Core accent in his speech. " It's Jados. And I've been sent by Masters Naraga and Solo to find you." The elder apprentice told him. " I doubt you would have wanted Master Solo to come after you anyway." " That's true." " So, one question. What in the name of the Force do you think you're doing out here?" Jados exploded. " You're ten years old, for Force sake! What do you think gives you the right to steal an airspeeder and go off on your own on the busiest planet in the known galaxy!" " I.I.I." Allon nervously stuttered. " Just how did you manage to crash that speeder?" Jados demanded to know. " I'm sorry about that, sir. I guess I miscalculated the landing trajectory and came in a little hard." " A little hard! A little hard! You totaled the thing. Do you know how much those things cost?" " I'm sorry. I just wanted to complete my lightsaber." Paje told him. " I didn't think anyone would mind if I slipped out for awhile. If I hadn't crashed the airspeeder, I would have been back long ago." Jados fought hard to quash the anger and frustration brewing deep inside him. What Allon did was reckless, stupid, and foolhardy. Master Solo was going to have a field day reprimanding Allon about this. But at least he was safe. So to now was Kral Zeda. " Then I hope you got what you came for, because we're leaving-now!" Allon Paje lowered his head in shame and prepared to follow the alien Jedi back to the Temple. He knew he had a lot of explaining to do. Jados turned back to exit the multi passageway chamber, but stopped quickly. He frantically scanned all the tunnels, each identical to the others. Which way had they come in from? " Which way did we come in from?" Allon looked around. " I thought you knew." " Just hold on." Jados sounded as he held up a claw to silence him. He concentrated and looked around to all the doors, trying to remember which was the one they had entered through. " That one." He announced as he pointed to a nondescript corridor. " Are you sure?" Allon asked. " I thought we came from this way." He gestured to a similar gate on the opposite side. " No. It was this one, I remember." The older male corrected. The young boy sighed. " I suppose you're right." Jados gave a grin and said, " Exactly as I thought. Let's go." Without another word, Allon followed the trandoshan through the door and down the familiar seeming hall. They exited. Before them was a small set of stairs that led into a dank tavern that smelled of rotten vegetation, ozone, and something else that the two could not identify. " While I can't be sure, I do not believe this is where we came from." Allon commented. Jados leered at him. " You're in no mood to be wise cracking, boy." " Sorry." Allon got serious. " So I was wrong, I admit that. Let's just turn around and be on our way." The young padawan nodded and turned around. His forward motion was obstructed by a large, imposing Abyssin. Jados turned to see the large alien was joined by others. They didn't look very nice to him. " My ap-" Allon began. " Hey! Who you think you are, eh?" This didn't look good. " I'm sorry, sir." Jados was quick to say. " My friend here is clumsy." A Rodian pushed through the crowd of aliens and pointed a thin finger out at them. " Hey, I these guys are Jedis." He squawked. " The boy's got their hair and the lizard's got their mark on his head. There learners." The two Jedi really wished the green creature did not have such a broad history of the order. " It's Jedi-both singular and plural, genius," Allon mumbeled from behind the older Jedi. Jados's head shot back in disbelief, thinking, What is doing. That'll only provoke them! " What he say?" The Abyssin asked. " Nothing." The alien padawan blurted out. The Abyssin bared his mistreated teeth in anger. " You lie, PadaJedi!" he growled at them. The two began backing away slowly as the group followed their apparent leader closer to them. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, inside the bar filled with other lowlifes. " Now, don't be rash here guys. The kid's young, he doesn't know how to hold his tongue in the face of such fine gentlemen such as yourselves." Jados pleaded while using the Force to release the clasp on his robe. The act went unnoticed. The Abyssin pulled a long vibroblade from a sheath behind his belt. " Ah, 'haps we teach him." He waved it menacingly at them. Jados's big yellow eyes shifted to Allon as he whispered, " Pekai a'dee." It was a simple Selquian sentence taught to Jados by Master Naraga that translated to " Stand back". He hoped the boy had learned enough of the language while with the Selquians on their world. " Understood." Came from the boy, to Jados's delight. He did so casually. " Hey!" The Rodian sounded. " What did you say to him?" The Jedi dismissed the question and merely stated, " Please let us leave, we mean you know harm." The Abyssin gave a throaty laugh. " Ah, but we do." There came a sound of mugs hitting tables and bar stools grinding across the floor. Jados turned to see all the patrons of the cantina up and staring at them. " Seems our friends think same, eh?" The situation was beyond mediation. Well past it, Jados knew. With lightning fast reflexes, Jados's arms came up to guard position. A blazing red-bladed lightsaber griped between his claws. " This is your last chance. Allow us to pass or I will be forced to defend my friend and I." In response, all his friends drew weapons ranging from knives to blasters. The Jedi narrowed his eyes. " You should rethink your life." In a flash, Jados sent a green bolt back to its owner, evaded a swipe from the Abyssin, severed his armed hand from the wrist, and then kicked him in the back as he glided past. Allon dove for cover behind an empty booth. The other Jedi sliced the muzzle off a blaster carbine, elbowed it owner in the face, and spun in a blur to hack the gun-toting rodian in two. A scarlet blast grazed his flowing robe and Jados slashed the squid-faced Quarren across the chest in retaliation. He hopped aside from a knife thrust and smacked his attacker in the face with the stock of his saber. With the calm fury of a Knight, he turned to face the much larger group of potential assailants. " Last chance." He told them as he tightened his grip on the Jedi weapon, but they were unfazed. Enhanced by the Force, Jados bounded to the other end of the room, parrying beams as he flew. He came down hard with his saber on the lead attacker and Fore-slammed another in to the soiled durasteel wall. A three-eyed Gran came in with a descending knife and was met by a crimson blade that dismembered his hand then plunged into his belly. Jados spun, decapitated a blaster holding Nikto to his left, turned to shorten the muzzle of a blaster rifle and round-kicked its owner on the side of its head. Alerted by the Force, he flung his blade back to impale a female human's shoulder and rammed his opposite elbow into her face. The Jedi turned to face the next batch before them. To his surprise, they hesitated to strike, then stopped completely. They lowered their weapons. " Smart decision." The Trandoshan told them, but focused on their movements just in case. One, a Devaronian, spoke up. " It evident we are no match for such a powerful Jedi as yourself." " We did not wish a fight. I did what I had to do, unfortunately." The devilish alien smirked mysteriously. Jados didn't understand. Suddenly, the one handed Abyssin that had sneaked-up behind him smashed a barstool over his back. The Jedi Padawan went down hard, his lightsaber flying from his hands. The weapon deactivated as soon as it left his grip and rolled away after it joined him on the floor. " Vee make you pay Jedi!" The large black furred cyclops grunted, before smashing his boot into Jados ribs. It didn't take long for the remainder of thugs joined in on the pummeling. Jados had made a very common-possible fatal-mistake of an apprentice. He had placed all his attention on the people in his vision and not stayed open to the thought of attack from behind. Now it was too late. It was impossible now to mount any kind of defense against the strikes to his body. Allon was to young to help and Jados hoped that he'd taken the chance to run away. He could only take solace in that and the fact that he would die without fear. He was to die defending one who could protect himself.  
Master Naraga. will be proud, I hope. Though he never expected it to happen anytime soon, Jados was prepared to become one with the Force. And to think, Jados had great plans for his future. The Abyssin was suddenly jerked away and the other stopped for the moment to see what was up. There, towering over Jados was surely a sight for his sore eyes. The Abyssin jumped-up with rage and lunged forward at his attacker. Anakin Solo turned, caught the alien by the throat and snapped its neck. The mighty Jedi was silent. A member of the bar patrons rose his blade, prepared to attack, but was stopped. Not by Solo, not by Jados, nor Allon had done anything. It was the Devaronian who grabbed the man's arm. " Hey!" He said. " Don't you know who that is? It's Anakin Solo." The vibrodagger-toting man went pale with fear, the weapon dropping from his hand. Allon came out from hiding behind his master as the scum all threw down their weapons in apprehension. Master Solo gave them an icy stare. Without any reluctance or words, the Jedi Master scooped up the injure apprentice and was followed out by Allon.  
  
Anakin Solo walked in to the quarters of Andur Naraga and found the Selquian meditating as usual. " You assured me Jados would bring Allon back safely." The human said with irritation. Naraga merely smiled with his eyes still closed and replied. " I only guaranteed that Jados would find Allon. I said nothing of him bringing him back." Anakin huffed and exited. 


	5. Chapter 3

THREE  
  
Conrad piloted the MEm-PLS class shuttle with the ease that came from years of experience and a mastery of aviation. It was a tan little craft that could seat two in the front and three in the back it necessary. Today only four individuals occupied it for the time being.  
Green pointed the ship toward the horizon as the primary of Courscant sluggishly lit-up the early-morning sky. Even at this hour there seemed to be no end in sight to the lines of vehicles buzzing about.  
Troy Cracken reclined back in the front passenger seat, gave an audible yawn, and said to his friend, " Explain to me why you woke us all up early this morning and shoved us in the flying tin can."  
" It doesn't seem to bother Jados much." Conrad stated.  
Behind him, the bandaged and bruised trandoshan slept loudly propped against the window.  
" Don't dodge the question."  
" Well, I made a few calls last night and found a place that I trusted." Green replied as he slowed to allow a ship to pass by.  
" Huh?"  
" A ship, saber brain, weren't you listening when I spoke to you last night."  
" Not really, you tend to rant and rave sometimes. I've kinda learned over the years to tune you out when you start going on about things that don't interest me much." Troy revealed.  
Conrad turned his head to look at him for moment in disbelief. " Are you telling me you enjoy bouncing from ship to ship to get to where you want to go?"  
" Actually," Cracken admitted, " it's half the fun. You never know what kind of interesting people you meet that way. Plus, it's a good way to meet women." He chuckled. " You should try it some time."  
" Excuse me!" Came the voice from the seat behind him. " He's already taken."  
Troy turned and grinned at his sister. " Yeah," He said then looked to Conrad, " For now at least." The Jedi pilot ignored the comment, but Talia Cracken pursued it.  
" Just what is that supposed to mean, Troy?" She asked.  
Her older brother by five minutes was silent as he faced the front with a devilish smile.  
" Conrad?"  
" Don't bother with him.' He replied. " He just trying to annoy you."  
" Well, it's certainly working." Talia said, folding her arms across her chest. " Why do you have to be such a nerf herder, Troy?"  
" Because it's my job." He answered simply.  
" Alright settle, children." Green told them. " Don't make me have to separate you two."  
" But mesa do'a nothin." Troy explained in a high-pitch impression of a Gungan.  
" Control yourself." He reiterated. " We're knights now. We need to set an example for the younger folk."  
Troy cleared his throat loudly. " Excuse me, sir. But last time I checked, I was the senior knight in this particular vehicle, thank you very much."  
" Ah," Conrad held up an index finger, " But I'm older."  
" Tsk. Only by three days, buddy." Green smiled widely, suppressing his laughter. " Sure, if you go by Galactic Standard time." " Most people do." The younger knight commented as he placed his arms underneath his head and closed his eyes. There was silence, than, sensing irritation, Conrad said. " Nobody forced you come, you know." " That's not what it seemed like to me this morning." Troy replied. " I was resting comfortably-which I haven't done in a long time since I was promoted-when you Forced me to wake-up and accompany you to a vehicle dealership on a whim." " I told you last night! " Conrad exclaimed. Mockingly, Troy shot back, " And I you I wasn't paying attention! " The pilot grunted and focused on his gaze on Talia. His ability to drive straight and avoid collisions was unaffected. " If I dumped Troy out of this speeder, do you think anyone back at the temple would care?" " Our mom would." She said honestly. " But she'd get over it--real quick." Troy dismissed the comment and looked to his friend as if they hadn't been arguing moments before. " Why such a rush to by a ship? I thought you might focus first on building a new lightsaber. Unless you're content with a single jeweled apprentice weapon." He fidgeted with his own advanced saber, completed a week before he was even promoted. " Right now, I value transportation over weapons." " Besides," came a deep voice from the back. " Why would Conrad build a whole new lightsaber when he can cram a million gadgets into the old one." Still not opening his eyes to the world, Jados chuckled. " He'd only be happy with some kind of 'super lightsaber' that could like extend like fifty meters into the air. Our graft a propulsion unit to the back so that he could fire it like some kind of 'light torpedo'." The male Cracken laughed. " Or build a blaster into the stock for ranged capabilities." The ridiculed Jedi grinned. " It's crossed my mind a few times." " No, I say he'll turn it into a droid so it can tell him how to fight." Talia chimed in. " Ohhh, low blow, Talia." He said. " But is it true?" Troy asked. " What?" Green replied playfully. " It doesn't sound like a good idea to you?" " Nah." The other Knight conceded. " Just don't go vaporizing yourself." " You fear for my safety? Troy, I'm touched. 'Didn't know you cared." " Not in the least." He shot back. " But if you die, who's got my back in a fight? The Kid?" He jerked a thumb at his twin sister who protested the comment. " The Lizard?" He laughed. " He can't even hold his own in a bar room brawl, for Force sake." " Hey!" Jados sounded. " That abyssin surprised me!" " I'm sure he did." " I held off against a least twenty guys before then. Almost had them surrender." " Well," Troy admitted to Conrad. " Jados could replace you." He looked to the subject of his statement. " But only if Uncle Anakin is around to pull your carcass out of the fire." He returned to Green. " Now there's a true master of Jedi combat. You'd learn a lot from him, Connie. Like how to hold a lightsaber properly." " That's right, Troy, don't let us focus on your sloppy style." His sister defended. " My style? What about yours?" " I'd back off there, Troy." Conrad warned. " You can't win an argument against Talia. Believe me, I've tried." " What's that supposed to mean!" She exclaimed. Conrad began hailing procedures to let the place know they'd arrived on time. " It means: We're here."  
  
Halloran Starships was a long, tan building that stretched over three kilometers of the planet and boasted over a thousand ships of all makes and models on site. Owned by a toydarian named Halloran, the vast complex catered to both private and corporate clientele. It was one of the only starship dealerships on Courscant. Because of that vary fact, Halloran was a billionaire. But still he wished to do all the deals himself. Per his instructions, Conrad set the airspeeder down inside a small, neatly kept hanger that sported a domed roof that slid shut as soon as the craft was in. Promptly, a stout blue alien flew in to the hanger via a side door to meet and greet his customers as soon as they exited their vehicle. Dressed in an obviously expensive black suit and polished shoes, the Toydarian buzzed up to Conrad. " Ah, you must be Mr. Green." He said as the two hands met to shake. " Or is it Jedi Green?" Halloran added as he noticed the group's attire. " Yes. It is, thank-you." Conrad replied. Inside his head, the alien laughed. Ha, Jedi. I'll trick'em out of all the credits they brought and sell them an old junker! " I see you have brought friends. Are they Jedi also?" His face did not betray his thinking. " Right again." Troy announced. Halloran couldn't help but notice their alien friend. A trandoshan Jedi? Ha- ha, now I've seen everything. His focus returned to Conrad. " I am very delighted that you chose my ship yard. I always love Jedi patrons." " Thank-you." Green told him. " We're happy to be here also." " Well, why don't we move to the showroom." Halloran told them, gesturing to the door that he had entered through. " I have a repulsorcart waiting on the other side. Lets see if there is anything on site that you like." " Lead on." Conrad told him. The Jedi followed the stout creature back the way he had came. The portal led to a bright corridor that let out into a massive area filled assorted doorways and passages large enough to fit a rancor through. Sitting alone in the room as the aforementioned repulsorcart piloted by a young human in a neatly pressed uniform and cap. Halloran took the small seat beside his employee and motioned for the Jedi to sit behind. The seats were comfortable and kept heated for guests. Everything in the facility seemed to be taken care of very well, Conrad thought. " Take my special guests and I to the Special Lot." The Toydarian told the man. He gave a curt nod and casually took the craft through one of the large passageways. Along with the superfluous lighting were even more extravagant ferns and plants lining the tunnel to Halloran's Special Lot. Halloran hoped it was all convincing to his customers. If they were to find out he was trying to cheat them, that.Halloran didn't want to think about what could happen. But he knew one thing: Jedi are very perceptive. Two minutes later, the craft exited out into a long hanger filled with ships that appeared to be endless. " What kind of ship are you interested in, my Jedi friends?" The alien asked them. " Fighter-class, shuttles, light-freighters, yachts, perhaps even a light- cruiser? We have everything you'll need. All within New Republic regulations, I assure you." Conrad thought for a moment, then turned to his friends. " What do you think?" " It's your ship, Conrad." Jados said. " Our ship." He was quick to correct. Troy was rubbing his chin in meditation. " The best bet would be a freighter." " Planning on doing some smuggling, friend?" Halloran asked. " Perhaps if we become short of cash." He responded. " But no. The ship we'll purchase will no doubt be putting on a lot of parsecs, as we tend to travel often and far. Freighters are built to fly from one end of the galaxy to the next without refueling. They've got decent speed, maneuverability, shields, and weaponry. But more importantly, they're easily modified-especially the Corellians. Please, stop me if I'm wrong." Halloran chuckled happily on the outside, but cried on the inside. " You certainly seem to know a lot about starships, m'boy. No way I'll push a junker past you." " Thanks, I travel a lot. You tend to pick up few things." Conrad was intrigued. " Do you have any Corellian freighters on site?" " Ah, I knew I should take you to the Special Lot. We got one in last month, I believe. Corellians are hard to come by, you must all know. But I got a good deal on it. It's top-of-the-line, I assure you. But." " But it's going to cost us." Talia finished. Halloran gave a toothy grin. " Normally I would the price would be around twenty million Republic credits. But for you.I charge eighteen and a half. Is this-" " Don't worry about the price." Conrad assured. " Let's just see this ship first." " As you wish my boy." The blue alien looked to the driver. " To the Corellian!" The repulsorcart proceeded down the lane for a while then turned onto another which the cruised through for a kilometer. They'd made their way into the middle of two lines of stock-light-freighter-class ships that came from various regions of the galaxy and from a dozen designers. The one that caught everyone's attention was a gray-silver saucer shaped ship with a cockpit protruding from the middle of the forward hull. Undoubtedly a vessel made from the Corellian Ship Yards. The cart stopped in front of it and the passengers-save the driver- disembarked and approached it. Troy was grinning. " Slap two jutting horns and an outrigger cockpit on in and it'd be the spitting image of Grandpa Han's ship." " Except this one doesn't look like it could fall apart any second from over-modification." Talia noticed. That made Halloran happy. Just wait, he thought. " Not yet." Conrad breathed in awe of what he was beholding. " I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life." " Excuse me!" Talia exclaimed. " You know what I mean, Honey." He told her, though still admiring the ship." Talia crossed her arms across her chest. " You boys and your toys." Halloran flew-up beside them. " You like?" He asked Conrad. Troy and Jados were off inspecting the ventral section of the craft. " Yes." The Knight replied. " I do." " It's a YT-2600. Top of the line." The Toydarian told him. " MiRK-13 Sub- light engines, HASX-23 Hyperdrive generator, Palinthav fuel cells for extended use, and two B-2A12 laser cannons for defensive use. An impressive craft, I assure you. Made only two years ago." Jados and Troy returned. " Can we take a look inside?" The Trandoshan asked as if he were a child. " Why yes, of course." Halloran answered. " Come this way." The group walked over to where the landing ramp was and Halloran keyed in a code for the lock. With a standard hiss, the ramp came to life and lowered to the ground. Inside the mammoth ship were a small lounge that contained a big black chair next to the bulkhead nearest the exit, a small table on the opposite side, and a modest couch that ran its length. Passageways similar to most Corellian freighters flanked both sides of the gray colored walls. The lone passage to the right led straight to the cockpit, Halloran told them. Again, Conrad's friends departed-this time separate ways-to inspect the ship, much to Halloran's chagrin. The alien knew he had to act fast if he was not going to get caught. " What do you think?" He asked. " It.looks great." Conrad admitted. " I think we'll take it." " Ah, very good. Then shall we go to my office and fill out the necessary contracts?" " Not quite yet." The Jedi Knight replied to his surprise. " A problem?" Troy returned from the aft of the ship. " I'd say this boat's worth about seventeen million-if that." Jados appeared from the cockpit. " The wiring in the cockpit looks a bit faulty." He announced. " The Nav computer is busted and the shields get only up to a sixty-percent charge." Halloran gave a nervous half smile. " The MiRK-11 sub-light you have back there has a leaky coolant system, while the HASX-23 is missing a lot of vital parts. This ship won't make lightspeed unless you get out and push." Troy added. The Toydarian was sweating profusely as he slowly backed away. "I.I...I can explain." Conrad folded his arms. " No need to." He replied, then eyed the alien directly. " I'm sure you were unaware of these problems-weren't you." " Why.yes, of course. Those blasted Corellians must have sold me a broken ship." He lied. " Well," The Jedi began. " I was planning on putting some heavy modifications on it any way. Can it safely be flown back to the Jedi Temple?" " Oh yes-yes, of course. It should be fine." Green knew that Halloran wasn't lying, so he said. " I will take it." The Toydarian's tension lowered slightly. " Good. Let's say.eighteen million even?" Conrad opened his mouth to say something, but Talia swiftly imposed herself between them. " Try seventeen, Hal." She told the creature. " If you expect us to pay eighteen million for a pile of scrap like this, then I'm a mentally handicapped Jawa.Do we have a deal?" It was Conrad's turn to interrupt. This time Halloran. " We'll pay seventeen and a half. Deal?" " Seventeen million five hundred thousand credits? I paid more than that." Halloran protested. " C'mon, you wouldn't be trying to swindle four honorable servants of the New Republic, would you?" Halloran thought it over then muttered something. " What was that?" Conrad asked. The Toydarian let out an angry sigh. " I said 'Deal'."  
" You're clear for landing in bay 1." The hanger controller said over the comm. of the Corellian YT-2500 freighter. " Copy." Conrad replied. " Thank-you." He switched off the craft's communications system and gently brought it into the docking bay usually assigned to any personal transports the Jedi Council or special guests may have. Since it was the largest of all the hangers in the facility and relatively unused, Conrad was allowed to use it temporarily to house his new ship, though it was going to need to be moved for the upcoming repairs and modifications. " All right." Conrad said to his co-pilot. " Lower the landing gear." Beside him, Talia Cracken scanned the console for the right switches. "Which one is it?" " Right under your hand there." She found the switches and flipped them all down. With a creak, four big durasteel struts descended from the bowels of the house-size ship and slowly made contact with the hard floor. The vehicle rumbled to a halt and Green shut her down. The Jedi slumped back in the pilot's chair and blew out a big sigh. Talia did also. They were alone on the yet-to-be-named ship. Troy and Jados had had the job of taking the airspeeder back and were expected in bay 1 in the next few moments. Without any warning, Conrad leaned over and kissed Talia on the lips. He held it there. After a moment, Talia pulled back with a confused grin. " What was that all about?" Conrad shared her expression. " You handled that ship dealer pretty well to day. You know I could have paid the full eighteen million credits." " Eighteen and a half!" She corrected. " But that wasn't the point. Just because you have the money doesn't mean you should pay more for less-it's not the Jedi way. Besides, it'll make Halloran think twice next time he tries to hoodwink another honest customer." Conrad sat back. " Well-well-well. Perhaps the little girl will become a Knight someday." Talia leaned back and huffed. " Yeah. Someday." The proven Jedi furrowed his brow. " What's that supposed to mean?" " My mother is too preoccupied with deciding if others are ready to notice that I 'm ready." Talia explained. " At this rate, I'll never be promoted." " I could talk to her if you'd like." Conrad suggested. Talia shot forward. " I can handle myself, thank-you very much! " " I wasn't implying anything." Cracken calmed. " I know." She relaxed and leaned toward him again. "Though she would listen to you. We all know you're here favorite." The two locked lips again. Conrad sensed the presence of Jados and Troy coming up the ramp. He flipped a switch on the console and the pilot den door slid shut and locked. 


	6. Chapter 4

FOUR  
  
Jedi Master Anakin Solo walked briskly down the corridors of the Jedi Temple. He was alone on this trek to the command room of the Jedi Council. Allon was ordered to remain in his quarters as he had been since he had returned safely last night. The boy was in a lot of trouble as of now. What he did was inexcusable and utterly reckless. It all reminded Solo of himself when he was younger. But Solo's like actions were of no consequence in this matter. The council had been informed and they ruled that it was in the hands of Solo and therefore the man had made the boy sit in his room and meditate on his infraction. Allon had been allowed to complete his lightsaber because however much restricted fun it might have brought him, it was still part of a vital lesson in becoming an experienced Jedi. The weapon was promptly taken from Allon the moment it was finished being tested. Such a powerful weapon could not go into the hands of a reckless boy, no matter how strong in the Force he was. In a month, perhaps, the boy could regain the lightsaber and begin learning how to effectively use it. The door to the command room came-up. It was a solid black portal with no scars. Solo touched the door control, making the command room become visible. He stepped in. Inside the entire council was gathered around a massive holoprojector situated in the middle of the room. All twelve of the members looked to him as he entered. "Ah," Master Ketah the Hutt sounded as he turned his attention to the man's older sister. "Anakin has arrived. Will you now tell us all about why we are here?" Anakin came in eyeing his sister strangely. She was a strong woman like their mother was-A natural born leader. At times it seemed nothing affected her. But today was different, Anakin could tell. Both her emotions and face gave her feelings away. She was in a state few had seen her in a long time. Anxiety, stress, and what bordered on total shock and even genuine fear. Call it what you wish, but Jaina was deeply disturbed. "What is it?" He couldn't help to ask. Jaina Cracken seemed to disregard the question and instead stated, "I'm glad you're here, Anakin," She looked to the council. "I have asked my brother here for a few reasons. He is a respectable and capable Jedi Master who could be on this council if he ever willed it. And also because this matter concerns him deeply." "What is this matter?" Andur Naraga asked. Beside Cracken, Master Lowbacca spoke through his vocabulator; "We have received a holo recording. It is security holocam footage from the planet Bakura-their main city, Salais D'aar." Jaina nodded and activated a green tinted cone of light. It portrayed a modern city street that was teeming with people. The skilled Jedi eyes in the room automatically focused on the black cloaked figure standing in the middle of the street. It hadn't moved since the recording began. No one in it seemed to take notice of the statuesque figure. Suddenly, without any hint or preview, the figure shrugged off its cloak and activated a blood-red lightsaber. It was a man with short hair that was blacker than the clothes he wore. The citizens where startled. Some ran while others were frozen in place. The man vaulted forward with greater speed than the camera could catch; his blade swung down and sliced a decrepit old man in half. The saber-wielding man turned and hacked away retreating people. His merciless slaughter ran for a full five minutes until the streets were littered with dead bodies in all types of mutilation. The entire council and Solo now shared in the female master's mood. The act had indeed disturbed them to their very core, as it should any being. But it was not the source of their expressions. They were horrified with disbelief because they all, deep down, knew exactly who that man was. But if what they believed was true, it defied all the laws of nature. The Ishi Tib Razel Yi was first to be able to speak. "How.is this.possible?" Behind them, Anakin Solo balled his fist. "Draxx," He cursed to himself. "This is outrageous." Master Naraga sounded. "Surely there is some mistake here. That man cannot be Valen Draxx. It cannot." "Dis is note gud," Chenuk told them. "Note gud atall." "You believe this to be Valen Draxx?" Naraga asked Cracken and Lowbacca. Jaina was reluctant to answer, "We do." "Surely this is all a hoax." Talus the Verpine commented. "Has this holo been ran through the techs for authenticity?" Jaina nodded. "As far as they can tell, there has been no tampering with this recording. I have looked into the situation. The bodies exist. Those people are dead." " And what of Draxx?" The Calamarian, Master Obile inquired. Lowbacca answered, "Gone or at the least in hiding." "Then that is not Draxx." Dors Kef stated. "An imposter who tries to gain infamy from an established enemy." "No. I have come near Draxx before. His presence in the Force is the most twisted beam of darkness I have ever felt.I sense traces of that darkness now." Naraga admitted. "And this certainly seems like the type of psychotic tricks Draxx plays." "With da Force, no ting is impossible," Barcis was convinced of the findings. "Valen Draxx.disen man is." "Would you listen to yourselves!" Anakin stepped forward. "You've all gone mad!" He looked to his older sister. "Valen Draxx was powerful-yes. Perhaps he was even stronger than our grandfather was-stronger than Luke was. He was deadly enough to destroy everyone in our family except us. But my point is that he was. He is no longer" He regarded his Selquian best friend. "Andur, you saw him die. I knocked him into space and he was de-atomized by Courscant's star-you saw this.Draxx was powerful." Anakin said woefully, recalling old memories as he looked away. He turned back with resolve. ".But not powerful enough to escape the heat of this planet's primary-I guarantee you that." Anakin was stricken with too much grief to stay in the room and continue in the conversation. Andur started to follow in order to convince him to return, but Jaina stopped him by saying, "No Andur, let him be. He'll be back when he's ready. Right now we need the entire council's input into the situation." The alien looked at her, nodded, then returned to the deactivated holoprojector. "He is right you know," Naraga told her. "There is no way he could survive such exposure to cosmic elements." Jaina Cracken addressed the entire body of beings. "Whether this is indeed Draxx or merely some imposter, the man in that recording had great skill and command of the dark side. He is a threat." She got no opposition from the rest of the council. "Now that we are all aware of this threat, we must discuss what steps will be taken to stop it." "It would seem that we are at a disadvantage here. We no little about this incident, likely little of its instigator." Talus noticed. "Yes," Master Yi agreed. "Until he chooses to reveal himself again, we must learn what we can in order to fully control the problem." "A good idea," Cracken said. "Would you like to head that team?" "Unless you can find someone better to lead, I will accept." "I will join you, Razel," Talus told him. The Ishi Tib nodded in assent to his friend and colleague. "Good," The senior member said. "Our next business is to decide how far we will go to stop this man if he resurfaces." The naturally silent Tehani spoke-up, "He will resurface. This recording is definitely a message to all of us. One that is meant to keep us guessing." Her voice was a low purr. "Indeed. Do we have any suggestions?" Lowbacca asked. "What does the New Republic think of this?" Gorisk Kay'lya asked. "Bakura is a member. Surely they have spoken out." "Not quite," Master Lowbacca objected. "I have talked with the governor of Bakura. I assured him that the problem would be of greatest concern to the Order and that there was little the Republic could do to help." "That sounds a bit unorthodox, Lowie," Kay'lya admitted. "This is an unorthodox situation." "Still, I'm sure we and Bakura would benefit from their assistance." "This is true," The Wookiee agreed. "But there is a great dilemma that is being discussed in the Senate. They are too bogged-down with their proceedings that I doubt that a cry from Bakura would even become noticed." "You speak of Xarn. The overthrow of Emperor Fariba from the Tagii Imperium." "Yes." "Viry 'porint mater dat is," Chenuk commented. "Yes," Kay'lya told the diminutive master. He turned back to the Wookiee. "But I don't believe that merely because you disapprove of the senate's return to indecisiveness that you should boycott their much needed services." "First, Admiral, it is such behavior from the New Republic that almost doomed their government. It has been fortunate enough for the galaxy, and our order, that such politicians have been absent over the last two decades, but now it seems they have return and will certainly cause problems," The Wookiee replied through his vocabulator. "I do disapprove of the senate. But I was only thinking of their unneeded input and diplomatic questions. This is our problem." "We must support the New Republic and it's governing body." Obile reminded. "But not so much that we must rely on their approval," Master Lowbacca countered. "It was our decision to no longer be an official part of their government." "But we are officially their allies." The Bothan Master told him. "As was our decision." "It was their dependence on the Republic that led to the down-fall of the original Jedi Order. We are protectors, defenders, and mediators-not politicians. We cannot sit and worry about the senate questioning our ways and motives." "I thought the Senate understood this," Talus stated. He was the newest member of the council, elected in only a year prior. Jaina Cracken finally decided to step in and answer the Verpine, "They once understood that, but now things are becoming tense again." It was all true. After the invasion, the survivors of the massacres banded together and united the galaxy. The senate had become respectable, the Jedi were able to rebuild, and thousands of systems joined the Republic. But now corruption and intolerance had returned. Many Jedi feared that it foretells of new times of struggle. 


End file.
